The discount retailer is well loved among shoppers selling bags, clothing, and homeware for discount prices – but it looks a bit different in the United States.
Shoppers are finally figuring out why the popular retailer known as TK Maxx in the UK carries a different name than its international branches. Bernard Cammarata founded TK Maxx, originally named TJ Maxx, in the United States. The brand introduced its first UK store in Bristol in 1994, arriving on British shores 18 years after the doors opened to its Massachusetts location.
Today, TK Maxx is a beloved component of the British shopping experience, offering designer items at prices that undercut the competition. The retailer’s inventory covers an extensive range, including clothing, bags, shoes, beauty products, toys, gourmet food and homeware furniture.
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However, American customers are greeted with the familiar TJ Maxx brandingone different from what’s seen in the UK. This distinction has recently become common knowledge among shoppers, reports the Mirror.
During Channel 5’s documentary ‘TK Maxx: How To Bag a Bargain’, former buyer Yasmin Latiff shed light on the rebranding decision. She disclosed: “They changed a letter so that consumers would not be confused with TJ Hughes, which was an off-price retailer founded in Liverpool.”
Further, consumer journalist Harry Wallop elaborated on the change, he said: “They just randomly chose the next letter in the alphabet. I think it’s as simple as that.” The strategy paid off; TK Maxx quickly became a hit in the UK and even extended its reach online with the launch of an e-commerce site in 2009.
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Contrasting with this, TJ Hughes began its journey in 1912, establishing itself as a household favourite in Merseyside and eventually becoming a nationwide success. At the height of its popularity, TJ Hughes operated 57 stores throughout the UK.
TK Maxx made the decision to stick with the name change for the European market. The alteration has long been a source of confusion for shoppers on social media. One person commented: ” TJ Maxx is called TK Maxx in Germany, no I don’t really know why.” Another shopper chimed in: “I get that brands and supermarkets have different names in America and Ireland – that’s fine. But WHAT was so important about that ONE letter that TJ Maxx became TK Maxx?”
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A third person revealed: “Just discovered that, in the States, TK Maxx is called TJ Maxx.”