Having started life in a store in Brixton, south London, seven years ago, the retailer predominantly had stores around that area, until major expansion last year saw it open stores in St Christopher's Place and The Brunswick Centre, London, and in cities as far as Leicester and Norwich.

Area manager for the south, Sarah Riches, says the company decided, at the end of last year, to expand into other areas of the UK. "We wanted to see the brand grow and so we started experimenting outside London," she says. "We carried out research into the demographics as we wanted to be located in areas with young, quite affluent people.

"We trialled in Leeds (The Light) and Manchester (The Triangle) first and they did really well."

Joy has since opened at Merry Hill, Dudley; in Leicester, and in Norwich, and this month has opened new stores in Bristol, Glasgow and The Coppergate Centre in York, which has taken it to a total of 18 stores. A new store in Edinburgh is also set to open this month.

Over the next year, Joy is hoping to open a further 15 to 20 stores. The priority areas include towns and cities such as Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton and Brighton where there is a good, young student population that's into fashion and shopping. Areas with a good nightlife are also important to Joy. "We like to be where there is lots going on," explains Riches. "Where people are going for after-work drinks or out to lunch. The Brunswick in London works well for this."

Riches says she will also be interested to see how Scotland works, as the Glasgow store is the first break into the Scottish market. She believes there could be opportunities to open further stores in cities such as Aberdeen. "I think it might be different," says Riches. "There's nothing like us up there.

"Also, looking further on than the next year, we would like to expand into Ireland, because that's where retail is booming at the moment."

Joy sells mens- and womenswear, accessories, gifts and homewares, and its whole image revolves around being fresh, funky and fun.

"A lot of people compare us to Urban Outfitters. Our gift package is similar, though our price point is lower, but our brands are different. Top Shop is our closest competitor, but we're quite unique. In terms of ladieswear we have lots of brands, like Religion - lots of young brands that aren't in every high street store.

"Also we can buy quite quickly and we have a fast turnover. We don't repeat our lines - once the stock has gone, we don't replenish. We get new stock twice a week and it always reflects the trends.

"I think we bring something a bit different to a shopping centre."

The new shop fit reflects this young and trendy image. "Our new store fits are really bright and fun with lots of fitting room space and couches," adds Riches. "We are not a mainstream retailer and bring a bit of fun to the shopping centre."

The new store design is very different from the older stores and Riches plans to roll it out to stores in Chiswick and Clapham.

At the same time, Joy is redesigning its website so that customers will be able to shop online. The new site is set to be operational this month and Riches believes this will be a real boost for the company.

Joy may not be a common name on the high street at the moment and, indeed, for many, may not be a familiar name, but it is certainly one to watch out for.

Statistics

JOY

Like-for-like sales: Up by double digits

Number of stores: 18

Number of stores opening this month: 1

Average store size: 2,500 sq ft

Total selling space: 30,000 sq ft

Size of store Joy is on the lookout for: 3,000 sq ft

Shopping centre/high street split: 30/70

Managing director: Maureen O'Brien

Telephone number: 020 7771 3130

Website: http://www.joythestore.com

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