The first TK Maxx store opened in the United Kingdom in 1994, and now also operates in Australia, Austria, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland.

[4] The company modified the name to TK Maxx to avoid confusion with the unrelated British retail chain T. J.

[8] In 2009, TK Maxx was denied permission by the Crown Estate to open a store in a unit on its land at Piccadilly Circus, London.

[9] The Crown Estate rejected TK Maxx, saying it did not fit its upmarket development strategy for the area.

[10] In response, publicist Max Clifford and Look magazine launched a campaign in support of a TK Maxx store on the site.

[18][19] From August 2008, TK Maxx introduced charges on plastic carrier bags and donated the proceeds to the Woodland Trust, which used the funds to plant 30,000 new trees on a 15-acre (60,703 m2) site near Elmstead Market, Essex.