Poundland To Open Or Refresh Nearly 50 Stores In Time For Christmas

• New stores, extensions, conversions and chilled and frozen food among festive plans

Poundland is giving customers an early Christmas present by opening or making big changes to nearly 50 stores in November and December.

The investment in its network of stores includes new openings, extensions, conversions and the rapid rollout of chilled and frozen food.

It marks another step in the transformation of Poundland which has seen major changes to the business at a time when many retailers are scaling back their operations and retreating from town centres.

The seven new stores scheduled for opening in November and December are: Larne (Northern Ireland), Rayleigh (Essex), Southampton West Quay, Ballymoney (Northern Ireland), Durham Arnison Retail Park, Huddersfield Retail Park and Newtonabbey Retail Park (Northern Ireland).

Customers in Bracknell (Berkshire), Consett Hermiston Retail Park (County Durham) and Belfast Cityside are to get even more choice with the opening of extensions that will include wider ranges, including PEP&CO family clothing and contemporary homeware.

Nine Fultons Foods stores in the north and Midlands, which became part of Poundland following the acquisition of Fultons Foods in 2020, are being given a new look and converted to Poundland, Poundland Local or standalone PEP&CO stores under plans announced last month.

Nearly 40 stores will get chilled and frozen food in November and December as part of the latest phase of Project Diamond ICE. Along with 16 that got the new ranges in October, it means that by mid-December more than 250 stores will have chilled and frozen in a programme that started with a single trial store in 2019. Full list of the latest converted stores below.

Poundland managing director Barry Williams said: “We’re working flat out to get new stores opened and existing stores refurbished in time for Christmas so that customers can see the best of what Poundland has to offer.

“This is just the latest stage in our transformation which has seen makeovers at hundreds of stores and a radical revamp of our product ranges. We’ll be pressing ahead with more changes in the new year.”

News of the investment comes just days after Poundland launched its first ever national TV advertising campaign, alongside the introduction of its new electronics range called Viido.

Today, Poundland has also announced a significant investment in Ireland – where it trades as Dealz – by confirming plans to open its first distribution centre in the Republic, at Clonee, County Meath.

The company is celebrating a decade of Dealz after opening its first Irish stores in 2011 and building a portfolio of 78 stores across the country. It has also unveiled plans to open its first standalone PEP&CO stores in Ireland in 2022.

Source : Poundland

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