ProCook aims to open 10 stores per year and considers adding experiential features

ProCook chief executive Lee Tappenden told Retail Week that to achieve its aim of operating 100 UK stores in the medium term, the retailer is looking at opening an “average of 10 stores per year” in the next few years.

“We have 60 stores, but across the country there are a huge number of big cities we’re not even in,” he explained.

“We’re not in Sheffield, we’re not in Leeds, we’re not in Nottingham and we’re not very present in Birmingham. There’s a lot of big cities and some affluent market towns we’re not in.”

While he emphasised that this doesn’t mean those cities will be where future store locations are, he did say ProCook will focus on “underserved areas” across the UK. 

The retailer is opening five stores before the end of this financial year with a focus on “larger store locations with much higher traffic” as previous openings in such areas are performing well.

“We’re really encouraged by these stores meeting, if not exceeding, our expectations and as a result, it’s given us the confidence to open these other five,” said Tappenden.

In terms of stores beyond this financial year, he explained that he can foresee ProCook stores having a slightly different look and feel due to its new range of electricals launched over the past few months.

It will soon expand the range to include coffee machines and further kitchen appliances.

“I think there’s much more of an experiential piece we can deliver through electricals in our future stores, which we look at more as we go into the next year or so,” he said.