Poundland United Kingdom

Poundland is a discount retailer which was founded in April 1990 by Dave Dodd and Steven Smith who came up with a successful concept of selling its products for £1 through its 900 stores across Europe. However, the company decided to sell its products costing more than £1 from the mid 2010s onwards.

In 2021, 25-30 new stores were opened. Poundland is planning to launch 400 points of sales per year.

Its first store was opened in the Octagon centre, Burton with 624 products, and today Poundland sells a range of about 3500 products, of which 1000 are branded products with the majority being food and drink. The retail company has expanded into mainland Europe (Ireland; Isle of Man) under the name of Dealz, and is currently part of the Steinhoff International family operating in Australasia, Africa and the United States, besides Europe.

Poundland’s product stock is divided into : 

• Ongoing core lines (products bought direct from the manufacturer)
• Seasonal ranges, whereby 10,000 new products are featured annually. 

It was reported that approximately 7 million customers (mostly working class females) shopped in Poundland weekly. It is also interesting to know that Poundland won BEST LOW BUDGET PR WEEK AWARDS 2019.

In 2020, Poundland achieved a turnover of €3.5 billion and currently employs a total of 17 000 people.

A wide range of products are available in the following categories:

• Savory Grocery: snacks, dried fruits & nuts
• Sweet Grocery: chocolate, biscuit, cakes, etc
• Drinks: soft drink, hot beverages, water, etc
• Personal Care: hair care, makeup, dental care, etc
• Household: homecare accessories

Some of the brands that the company sells are: Kelloggs, Nestle, Belvita, Uncle Ben’s Express/Special, Felizzano, Malibu products, Colgate, Pedigree, Tommy Walsh, just to mention a few. 

Additionally, it has its private label known as ‘Twin Peaks’ Chocolate bar.

To meet its operational difficulties, Poundland has an office in Hong Kong in view to support product sourcing and operations in the UK. It also has a distribution centre of 300 000 square feet.