Poundland has axed 100 head office jobs as part of its restructuring plan, which also involves the closure of 68 stores across the UK, including five in Scotland. The budget retailer, sold by Pepco Group to Gordon Brothers in June for a nominal £1 fee, aims to refocus and simplify its brand after a period of underperformance.
The chain has closed its chilled and frozen distribution centres in Darton and Bilston, and its transactional website is now browsing only, with the Perks app also retired. Among the Scottish stores affected, the Dumbarton Road store is set to close on September 28, while stores in Port Glasgow, Broxburn, and Perth have already shut.
A Poundland spokesperson said: 'We've made no secret of the fact that we need to create a simpler and more focused business to get us back on track after a significant period of underperformance. Alongside a reduced number of stores, with withdrawal from categories such as frozen food, and the retirement of our transactional website and rewards app, we also proposed the removal of central roles at our Walsall CSC and the closures of our Darton and Springvale DCs.'
The spokesperson added: 'It's sincerely regrettable that our plan to restore the business to health involves any potential job losses, but it's necessary if we're to achieve our goal of securing the future of thousands of jobs and hundreds of stores in the long term.'
However, some stores have been saved from closure. The Irvine Rivergate Shopping Centre store, initially due to close on September 14, will continue trading after a temporary restock. Similarly, the Wellgate Shopping Centre store in Dundee, originally closing on October 11, will now close on September 25 for a restock and reopen on October 3. Five more store closures are expected this year, though locations have not been announced.
