Furniture retailer Loaf is looking to expand its store network with the aim to opening 10 new stores over the next five years.

Loaf has retained GCW Property Consultants to support its continued expansion across the UK and add to its existing portfolio of 10 stores – or as Loaf labels them, ‘Shacks’.

With the help of GCW, Loaf is on the hunt for a further 10 sites by 2030, with its concept of “making laid-back furniture for people to kick-off their shoes and lead happier, more relaxed lives,” says Theodore Sheppard, Loaf CCO.

“We aim to double our estate in the next 4 to 5 years. Our data insights and visits to various UK towns and cities has helped us understand where our customers shop and spend time.

“This means we have some flexibility that meets our need for a good amount of space, the right adjacencies and clearly the right commercials. It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach so it can take us time to ensure we have the right space.”

Simon Horner, GCW partner, adds: “It’s reassuring to see retailers like Loaf thriving and expanding despite challenges in the industry.”

Set up 17 years ago by Charlie Marshall as The Sleep Room, an internet-only business specialising in handmade beds, the company morphed into Loaf in 2012 to represent an expanded product line to sofas, furniture and accessories.

In May 2021, Loaf put itself up for sale, capitalising on the post-Covid demand for beds. Marshall sold the major shareholding to Blue Cost Capital for a reported £70m.

The most recent Shack locations include the 12,000sqft unit in Leeds, which launched in October 2023, and a 4,000sqft site in Chiswick, which opened last September. Future expansion targets include locations such as Tunbridge Wells, Hampstead, Winchester, Blackheath, and Bath.