Poundland is gearing up to launch its first e-commerce website - and yes, everything will sell for a pound.

The new website will make Poundland the first fixed-price high street store to offer its range online, ahead of rivals Poundworld and 99p Stores.

“It is absolutely right for us. It’s exciting and it’s got to be done,” said Poundland CEO Jim McCarthy. “We are committed to doing it, we have taken on colleagues to work on it.”

However, there were a number of hurdles to overcome before Poundland could set a launch date, he admitted. “It’s not easy. There are some challenges involved with going online that we have to iron out,” he said. “For example, if part of the offer is made up of imported products then we have to get the lead times right. Plus we have to cover demand in such a way that we don’t short the bricks and mortar stores.”

Delivery also raises a number of issues, including whether to offer free delivery - and the importance of providing a reliable service.

“Clearly things will cost a pound,” said McCarthy. “But the levels of cost to deliver are a big question. You can get free delivery on all sorts, which is probably easy to take if the order is for £50 or £500. And order fulfilment is critical. If you get into partnership with the wrong fulfilment organisation and your customer is let down, then they don’t see the value. They just see pain - and then you are finished.”

McCarthy added that the website will allow the rapidly expanding chain, which has 375 stores in the UK, to widen its customer base and exploit the previously untapped online retail channel.

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