On March 18, Jysk will open six new stores in Belgium, five of which will be located in former premises of the bankrupt Leen Bakker chain. This brings the total number of home furnishing stores to 76, with another ten set to open later this year.
“We strongly believe in physical stores.”
Never before has the Scandinavian home furnishings chain opened so many new stores at once. The festive openings will take place in Borsbeek, Bruges, Grivegnée, Huy, Kuurne, and Zottegem. With the exception of Borsbeek, these are former Leen Bakker stores, which are being completely converted to Jysk’s latest store concept. Each new store will employ around ten people, including former Leen Bakker employees. This brings the retailer one step closer to its milestone of 1,000 employees in Belgium.
“Opening six stores in one day is exceptional,” says Frank Christant, director of Jysk in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. “We strongly believe in physical stores and seize opportunities in the market to grow further. The fact that we can achieve this together as an organization confirms the strength and ambition of Jysk in Belgium.”
On the way to 125 stores
But it doesn’t stop with these six store openings: in February, the retailer opened its first new store of 2026 in Rijkevorsel. After the six openings in March, the total number of stores in Belgium will be 76. In April, two more stores will open in Dendermonde and Marche-en-Famenne, followed by an opening in Sint-Truiden in June. These are also former Leen Bakker locations. In addition, Jysk is opening a new store at all seven former Shopping Cora sites. The first openings are planned for the beginning of summer.
The Danish retailer ultimately wants to grow to at least 125 stores in Belgium. The company already has more than 3,500 stores and webshops in 50 countries. Annual turnover in the 2024/25 financial year amounted to €6.2 billion.
