Is There A Poundlands Coming Near You ? Here Are The First 10 New Stores Replacing Wilko.

[Canary42]

. . . comes Poundland  :-

Poundland said it aims to open all the Wilko stores it bought by the end of 2023 before giving them all a full makeover in 2024 so they become “fully operational Poundlands”.

Saturday (September 30) will see the first round of former Wilko stores relaunched under the Poundland brand.

The 10 former Wilko sites opening as Poundland stores this weekend are:

Broad Street, Chell Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, West Midlands

Pendle Rise Shopping Centre, Nelson, Lancashire

The Peel Centre, Great Portwood Street, Stockport, Greater Manchester

The Mall, Church Street, Eccles, Manchester

London Street, Southport, Merseyside

Lord Street, Leigh, Greater Manchester

East Street, Barking, London

High Street, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Bede Precinct, Viking Centre, Jarrow, South Tyneside

The Broadway, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire

Poundland said the stores will stock customer favourites alongside any existing Wilko clearance items.

 

[Cloverjo]

There was a Wilko in my nearest largish town, but there's already a Poundland. So there will be another gap in the shopping centre to go with that left by M&S, which also went a few years ago. Not much left now. 

[Hopkirk]

Thanks. I will miss our local Wilko store. It will be reopening as a Poundland, but I won't be frequenting it - they are not the same.

[Buenchico]

The existing Poundland in Ipswich town centre is within a shopping mall which often seems to be deserted.  So there's a possibility, I suppose, that they might consider moving to the far more prominent Wilko location a few minute's walk away.

However that would simply be a move of what already exists, rather than creating a new store.

Poundland seem to be doing what Wilko failed to do, which is open new stores within edge-of-town retail parks.  They opened one of their biggest stores in the country on the edge of Ipswich at the beginning of this month.

[pastafreak]

The Wilko here is amongst the very last to close...October  8th. I went in there today, and it looks as if it's being used to clear all the remaining stock from other, already shut branches in the southwest.

No idea what the future holds for the site. It's in a small shopping precinct that has the city centre Sainsbury's, a Peacocks, sweet shop, and empty Laura Ashley premises.  Not very promising. There's a B and M, and 2 Poundland shops within 5 minutes walk.

[barry1010]

I have to go to my town centre today, first time in months.  The huge Wilko will be closed, which is a worry as the former Woolworth's building is still underused and the former Argos is still empty. 

Even though it is a market town, still holding a regular market, I cannot buy a pair of leather shoes or any type of trousers there.  Now Wilko's is gone I could not buy a saucepan.  Years ago there was a large department store (Beatties), M&S, Littlewoods, Co-Op department store, BHS, WH Smiths, ,  Sainsbury's, B&Q, a gents outfitter, Clarks, Evans, Mothercare, a clock shop which did repairs, a bridal shop (can't remember the name) as well as independent butchers, bakers, Kwik Save.

I think many smaller towns and high streets are in the same position.  

[10ClarionSt]

We had both here in Middleton, until Wilko blew out. Poundland was just a few units along, before Wilko. Now, just Poundland. Actually, it's not Poundland, it's One Below. Same sort of thing. Maybe Poundland will take over the Wilko unit. We'll see.

[barry1010]

Remember Poundstretcher and Poundworld? As far as I know both closed down.

I remember a 50p shop in the 70s called Crash, Bang, Wallop

[Canary42]

Poundstretcher seems to be in existence still, but trading as Bargain Buys (credit card receipts state Poundstretcher)

[Buenchico]

Poundstretcher is still very much in existence.  I use the one on the edge of Stowmarket quite often and they're about to open a new store in the centre of Felixstowe (in the premises that were previously occupied by M&S).

[cashier]

We had a Poundstretcher open just before Christmas, and I find it expensive. eg A bottle of Harpic is £2.50 compared to £1 ar Poundland.

[ladybirder]

Oh I hope not, sniff's disdainfully.

 

[barry1010]

I recall the Co-Op opening a string of 'pound shops' under a different name - anyone know?

[Buenchico]

^^^ It might have been a regional thing, Barry.

'The Co-op' has always been a network of local societies, rather than one big organisation.  (For example, Sheffield used to have the Sheffield and Ecclesall Cooperative Society operating on one side of the the city but with the Brightside and Carbrook Cooperative Society on the other).

So individual societies might have tried out initiatives which weren't used elsewhere.  Some, but not all, societies experimented with 'superstore' models but with different branding in each area.  (e.g. those stores were known as 'Solar' in my part of the country but would have had completely different names elsewhere).  Similarly, while your local Co-op might have tried out the 'pound shop' model, others might not have done (and, even if they had, they might have chosen a differerent name for them).

[barry1010]

My father worked for the Co-Op until he reached retirement age, apart from the war years.  Everything we had came from the Co-Op, so it seemed.  

We have two Co-Ops near us and the coupons are only valid at one or the other, never both, it's a pain.