Poundland has confirmed that all of its UK and Ireland stores will close for three days over the festive period, with doors shutting on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The budget retailer announced the closures as a gesture of gratitude to staff for their efforts in steering the business back on track, ensuring they get two extra days to spend with their families.
Stores will reopen on Sunday, December 27, following the Christmas Day and Boxing Day closures, before shutting once more for New Year's Day and reopening on January 2.
Return to profitability
The announcement comes as Poundland revealed its "recovery has gathered momentum" after narrowly avoiding administration when its turnaround plan was given the green light in 2025. In a statement released today, Friday, the company declared it has re-established itself as a "viable and profitable company".
Shaun Wills, who took up the role of chief financial officer at Poundland in July, said: "I've been really impressed with the hard work that's gone into the turnaround programme at Poundland which has led to its return to profitability and like-for-like growth in a short space of time. The fundamentals of this business are strong and it's clear that the simplification strategy is starting to deliver positive and sustainable results."
Staff benefits and support
As part of the announcement, Poundland confirmed that staff will receive a £25 Christmas voucher to spend in stores during December and January, alongside a 'double discount' weekend for colleagues at the end of November, on top of their existing staff discount.
The retailer has rolled out a number of key initiatives over the past year to support its workforce, including a new free-to-use partnership with leading support charity the Retail Trust to bolster the wellbeing of its staff. It has also rolled out financial support services via Stream, encompassing education, salary advances, savings and loans, with plans in the pipeline to provide colleagues with access to an online doctor - Z-Doctor - through Zurich.
Momentum into Christmas
Poundland managing director Barry Williams said: "The end of the final financial quarter where we returned to like-for-like sales growth marks another important milestone for our recovery. Thanks to the amazing efforts of our colleagues and suppliers, our return to growth is the clearest signal yet, that we're getting back to be the kind of business that our customers want us to be."
He added: "With the revamp of all our ranges across grocery, general merchandise and clothing complete, we look forward to the Christmas period with real momentum and confidence. And once the hard work of Christmas is over, I'm pleased that our colleagues will get a little time off on Boxing Day and New Year's Day to relax with their families. Without their support, and our suppliers, we would not have made the progress we have."
