Poundland is set to open eight stores on Saturday 10 December, adding 100,000 sq ft to its estate in time for Christmas.
The planned eight sites include three relocations, five brand-new stores and the completed extension of an existing one in Denton, Greater Manchester, making it an 18,000 sq ft ‘supersized’ branch split over two floors.
In what Poundland is calling a ‘super Saturday’ expansion push, the retailer is set to create 160 new jobs while providing roles for an additional 40 existing staff.
All the stores – the smallest of which is 3,800 sq ft – are to offer essential groceries, drinks and snacks and health & beauty ranges, as well as general merchandise.
Meanwhile, the larger stores will offer the “choice and shopping experience customers would expect from the big grocers”, according to Poundland, including frozen & chilled food and Pep&Co clothing and homeware.
The variety discounter has been aiming squarely at taking spend from the mults in the cost of living crisis. Last month it announced plans to nearly double the number of its stores offering chilled & frozen food to over 600 within a year, and said its “ambition is to bring more value to more places as an alternative to supermarkets”.
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The five brand-new stores are in Rainham, Swindon, Aylesbury, Tipton and Northern Ireland’s Craigavon. The relocations are in Peterborough – where another 18,000 sq ft supersized Poundland has opened – and Llandudno.
“This investment in towns and cities up and down the country shows our commitment to bringing shoppers more choice and amazing value just when they need it the most,” said Poundland COO Austin Cooke.
“Whether it’s daily essentials at a neighbourhood store or choosing from our Pep&Cc seasonal clothing range to make Christmas extra special this year, we’re there to help our customers find ways to cope with the pressures on their budgets.”
Ben Wall, Poundland director of property portfolio, said: “It’s been a tremendous task to get these stores ready to open in time for Christmas and it’s a reflection of the dedication and hard work of all the teams involved at Poundland.
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“We also owe a big thank you to the contractors who’ve worked tirelessly to help us get the stores ready and to the property agents who’ve been busy behind the scenes to keep the timetable on track.”
Poundland has been on an expansion drive since August, which has also seen it open new, relocated or extended stores in Sutton Coldfield, Canterbury, Sheffield Meadowhall Retail Park, St Helens, Broadstairs, Milton Keynes, Inverness, Aberdeen, Speke, Bradford Forster Square, Perth, Bloxwich, Port Glasgow, Morecambe and London’s Swiss Cottage, Plumstead and Whitechapel.
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