August 19, 2011 1.23 pm This story is over 151 months old

DFS to sit down in Lincoln

Sofa store: The first DFS store will open in Lincoln in November, and it is expected to create 16 new jobs in the city.

Lincoln’s Valentine Retail park, located on Tritton Road, will see the arrival of a new DFS store in early November.

The retailer will join Next Home, Asda Living, Dreams and TK Maxx in creating a critical mass of home-ware retailers. The new furniture retailer will join competitors SCS and Clayton’s, which also reside on Tritton Road.

The 20,000 sq ft store will be one of two new DFS stores that are being built this year across the country (second store will be in Wales). The nearest DFS store is currently in Grantham, on Gonerby Road.

Jon Massey, Chief Operating Officer at DFS, said: “We are delighted to have added these two new stores to our portfolio.

“Both retail parks trade well, serve strong catchments, and are well-managed.

“Consequently, they provide us with a great platform from which to grow the brand in their respective regions.”

A total of 16 new jobs will be created at Lincoln’s DFS, according to a Lincolnshire Echo report.

Investment

British Land, which owns a 50% share of the Valentine Retail Park, has been involved in the commissioning of the new plot and invests in shopping park locations.

Ed Cree, the Asset Manager at British Land, said: “These two new stores are great examples of British Land’s innovative asset management in action.

“We work very closely with brands such as DFS, which means that we can help the strategic growth of their business by providing the right stores in the right locations at the right time.”

The Lincoln branch is one of eight new leases that the retailer has obtained as part of an expansion of the company.

Ian Filby, Chief Executive Officer at DFS, said: “These stores supplemented by any further acquisitions will open in the next financial year and represent the first phase of our plan to bring DFS within reach of all significant customer bases within the UK.

“This measured store rollout programme is expected to deliver our target of approximately 20 additional stores by July 2013.”