Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
The introduction of chilled and frozen, which began with a single trial just over a year ago at the Ashbourne store in Derbyshire, will extend to as many as 500 stores in two years.
Poundland at Widnes Shopping Park in Cheshire has been fitted out with new chiller and freezer cabinets to bring customers more than 400 items from frozen pizza and pies to cheeseburgers and ice-cream.
New acquisition Fultons Foods has worked in partnership with Poundland to develop and distribute the new ranges, which will have reached 119 Poundland stores by mid-December. The rollout will “resume at pace in the new year”, the retailer added.
Poundland transformation director, Mat Ankers, said: “To reach 100 stores with our chilled and frozen food in just over 12 months is a fantastic achievement by our colleagues in Poundland and Fultons.
“It’s fitting that Widnes is the 100th store because it is a great location for us, and we know our customers will love the new ranges and appreciate being able to do more of their shopping in a single trip.”
In addition, Poundland is to open 10 new stores in the run-up to Christmas. The new stores – under the Poundland banner in the UK and the Dealz brand in Ireland – will employ more than 280 staff. They are the first to be confirmed as the discount retailer prepares to open 45 new stores over the next 12 months in an investment of more than £15m.
All the new stores will have clothing and homeware and selected stores will also be part of the chilled and frozen food rollout.
The new stores will be in Bedford Interchange Retail Park, Bedfordshire; Ballymena, Braidwater Retail Park; St Augustin Retail Park, Lincolnshire; Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester; Sutton-in-Ashfield Retail Park, Nottinghamshire; Dunganon, The Oaks Shopping Centre; Colwyn Bay, North Wales; Athenry, County Galway; Limerick Crescent, Dooradoyle; and Belgard Retail Park in Tallaght, Dublin.
