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    Home/About
    About Us

    


    From a thriving market stall to the high street…

    In 1979 our founder, Bill Adderley, saw an opportunity in textiles, so he and his wife Jean decided to invest in a batch of second-hand, ready-made curtains, ‘seconds’ curtains and bedding, and slippers. They set up their stall at Leicester Market, and by the early 1980s had opened their first high street shop. Our story really does begin at home. Dunelm is, in fact, the name of the house where Bill, Jean and family lived when they first started on the market stall.

    Dunelm began as a stall on Leicester Market.

    Dunelm began as a stall on Leicester Market.

    1979

    Our first high street store opened in Churchgate, Leicester.

    Our first high street store opened in Churchgate, Leicester.

    1984

    Our second store opened, a converted Art Deco cinema in Coalville.

    Our second store opened, a converted Art Deco cinema in Coalville.

    1987

    We opened the East Street flagship store with warehouse facilities to help us expand.

    We opened the East Street flagship store with warehouse facilities to help us expand.

    1988

    We opened our first store outside of Leicestershire, in Rotherham.

    We opened our first store outside of Leicestershire, in Rotherham.

    1994 

    

    …to superstore expansion… 

    Following the success of the early high street stores, Dunelm continued to grow. After opening the first out-of-town Dunelm Mill store in Rotherham in 1994, Will Adderley, Bill and Jean’s son, was appointed Managing Director a couple of years later. He oversaw a period of significant store expansion, while also opening a new head office and purpose-built warehouse. By 2010 the business had opened its 100th store, having been listed on the London Stock Exchange a few years earlier.

    

    …to going digital

    Having brought computers into our stores in 2000 and launched our first shoppable website in 2005, 2019 marked the first time we made £1 million in online sales in a day. We also introduced our successful Click & Collect service and continued to open new stores.

    

    Looking to the future

    Still opening new stores across the country, we’re showing no signs of slowing down. We’re working hard to continually improve and expand our product range, and to make sure shopping with us – in-store and online – is a great experience. As a trusted homeware and furniture destination, we’re committed to making decisions that will stand us – and our customers – in good stead for what comes next, and for a long time to come.