Poundland prepares for opening of new Craigavon store in Rushmere Retail Park

The new opening is part of the discount retailer’s expansion and transformation programme and follows a series of store openings across UK.

The latest Craigavon store is a relocation to the former Menary’s site, offers 14,500 sq ft over two floors.

The store will stock a wide selection of everyday essentials such as groceries, drinks and snacks, as well as revamped health and beauty, entertainment, stationery and craft ranges, so customers can do more of their shopping in one trip.

There will also be wider ranges of chilled and frozen food and PEP&Co clothing and homewares, with the larger stores providing the choice and shopping experience customers would expect from the big grocers.

Poundland chief operating officer, Austin Cooke, said: “This investment in towns and cities up and down the country shows our commitment to bringing shoppers more choice and amazing value just when they need it the most.

"Whether it’s daily essentials at a neighbourhood store or choosing from our PEP&CO seasonal clothing range to make Christmas extra special this year, we’re there to help our customers find ways to cope with the pressures on their budgets.”

The Craigavon opening is part of Poundland’s quest to open eight new stores, relocations and extensions on December 10 in a ‘Super Saturday’, to bring shoppers more choice just in time for Christmas.

Opening eight stores in one day has required a massive effort by Poundland’s retail and property teams to carry out the necessary building and refitting work ready for shelf stocking, with the support of contractors, property agents and local councils.

Ben Wall, Poundland director of property portfolio, explained: “It’s been a tremendous task to get these stores ready to open in time for Christmas and it’s a reflection of the dedication and hard work of all the teams involved at Poundland.

"We also owe a big thank you to the contractors who’ve worked tirelessly to help us get the stores ready and to the property agents who’ve been busy behind the scenes to keep the timetable on track.”

Providing work for more than 200 colleagues, including around 160 new roles, the new Poundland stores are bringing new life to locations left empty by other retailers.

Among the agents involved in the December 10 openings were Prime Retail of London for the high street sites, Morgan Williams of London for the retail parks and Savills Belfast for the Craigavon store.

The openings mark the culmination of an intense period of investment since August which has seen openings, relocations and extensions across the UK.