A POPULAR UK chain is set to close three locations as it launches extensive clearance sales.
The retailer announced the details of the sales, with shoppers able to snatch savings of up to 40%.
Poundland has confirmed its Andover shop will no longer shut despite launching closure sales (stock image)[/caption]
Three Poundland stores will hold extensive clearance sales as they prepare for closure.
Stores in Deal in Kent, Cameron Toll in Edinburgh, and Thurrock will offer reductions of up to 40% off.
Items at these locations will continue to be marked down in price until they’re sold, according to Poundland.
The closing sales cover all the stock in each store from homeware to groceries and clothing to health and beauty.
Clearance details
The clearance sale at both Deal and Thurrock are currently underway, with both locations scheduled to close on Monday, 27 October.
Meanwhile, Cameron Toll is set to start sales on Wednesday, October 15.
This location will continue to operate through the festive season, pulling the shutters on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Poundland recently closed 57 stores, placing a further 11 closures on hold.
The chain expects to operate a network of around 650-700 stores compared to 800 at the beginning of the restructuring programme.
Poundland is continuing its programme to simplify its retail network around its best-performing sites, securing the future of thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores.
Closure U-turn
Poundland confirmed that its Andover shop will no longer have to close after a period of uncertainty
Located on the local high street, the store had begun a massive clearance sales last week as it prepared for closure.
This move came under Poundland’s restructuring and recovery plan, which is designed to return the business to growth.
However, the store will now remain open without any interruption to trade.
“We’re pleased to have come to an agreement to keep our Andover store open, joining three other stores that have seen their closures reversed in recent weeks,” Poundland’s UK retail manager Darren MacDonald said.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
“We will continue to seek accommodations with landlords to keep stores trading.”
Poundland recently returned to its roots, completing the roll out of “£1, £2, £3” pricing simplicity in its grocery aisles, ensuring around 60% of all items sold are £1.
In the coming months Poundland will extend that new pricing simplicity to its general merchandise and clothing ranges.
More on Poundland
Poundland is set to close all locations for three days over Christmas to give staff a break.
And a full list of the Poundland locations hosting closing down sales this month.
Plus, bargain offers on Christmas chocolate available at Poundland locations.
