In 2009, the company also started selling Fairtrade cotton bags for 99p. As well as donating unsold stock, the company has started selling jute bags for £1.99, of which at least 50p is donated to Emmaus. Īs part of TJX Europe's 'Real Responsibility' initiative, HomeSense has partnered with the homeless charity Emmaus. Staff aprons, the most distinctive part of the uniform, partially change on a seasonal basis. The results of a customer survey completed in 2009 showed a 100% recommendation rate from customers, something which had been targeted prior to the brands launch. Prior to this, the slogan was "Unique Finds, Irresistible Prices". This coincided with a relaunch of the company's website, and the adoption of a new slogan, "It makes perfect HomeSense". Throughout April and May 2009, the original launch stores received minor refurbishments to bring design and decoration into line with newer stores. The HomeSense flagship store is located in Westfield Merry Hill, Dudley, England, and opened in May 2010. In 2010 HomeSense plans to open stores in Reading, Chichester, Tunbridge Wells, and Chester. HomeSense have plans for approx 150 stores in the UK & Ireland over the next 5–7 years, and has alluded to expansion in continental Europe in the future.
By the end of 2009 HomeSense are operating 14 stores and have opened an additional 6 stores between August and November in Worcester, Birmingham, Preston, Romford, Staples Corner (London) and Nottingham. The first store to open was in Poole, and this was closely followed by stores in Cardiff, Bristol, Gloucester, Northampton and Manchester followed by Thurrock in October 2008 and Cambridge in March 2009. In April 2008, TJX launched the HomeSense brand in the United Kingdom.