Poundland has opened its first large-format store in Nottingham, offering more fresh food, in an attempt to appeal to budget-conscious customers.
Poundland has been trialling fresh food in several stores across the UK, but the Nottingham outlet is the first to stock fruit, vegetables and bread in a main store.
The company aims to add the new ranges to more than 20 other large stores this year. Poundland aims to have chilled and frozen food stock in 350 outlets by autumn 2022.
The new store is three times bigger than the average Poundland store, covering 15,000 square feet. Once fully operational, it is expected to employ 75 full and part-time members of staff.
Consumers on the hunt for value
Managing director of Poundland Barry Williams told the BBC that the new outlet and its focus on fresh food is “a natural extension of what our customers are looking for.”
"I'm seeing shoppers shop around a lot more particularly than what they were doing during the pandemic. There are locations that are coming back to life again, I think shoppers are definitely on the hunt for value now.”
The Poundland boss also expressed his concern about the impact of inflation on the business. Williams said that the cost of transportation and fuel, the cost of containers, wage inflation and cost increases charged by suppliers are all factors that the business is now dealing with.
He added: "Our view is really clear - that people who work the hardest on behalf of shoppers are the ones who are going to win."
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
