TK Maxx Logo

TK Maxx grew out of TJ Maxx, founded in 1976 by Bernard Cammarata in Framingham, Massachusetts. The first two stores opened in 1977 in Auburn and Worcester. Unlike many discount chains, TJ Maxx bought surplus, leftover, and out-of-season goods from brands and retailers, then sold branded clothing and home products below regular retail prices.

In 1987, Zayre reorganized its retail assets, placing TJ Maxx, Hit or Miss, and Chadwick’s of Boston under The TJX Companies, Inc. In 1989, Zayre Corp. merged with TJX, and the company began trading independently on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1990, TJX entered Canada by acquiring the five-store chain Winners, which it later turned into a major off-price retailer.

European expansion began in 1994 with the first store in Bristol, followed by a store in Ireland. The company could not use the TJ Maxx name in Britain because of the existing retailer T. J. Hughes, so the brand changed one letter and became TK Maxx. Its model differed from Primark: TK Maxx sold discounted branded stock, while Primark focused on low-cost own-brand goods.

Through the 1990s and early 2000s, TK Maxx expanded in the UK and Ireland. In 2007, it entered mainland Europe with stores in Lübeck, Germany. HomeSense launched in the UK in 2008, and tkmaxx.com followed in 2009, first selling bags online. The brand entered Poland in 2009, Austria and the Netherlands in 2015, and Australia in 2017 after buying 35 Trade Secret stores. By early 2026, TK Maxx had about 644 stores in Europe and 56 in Australia, while TJX Companies had passed $50 billion in annual revenue.