Poundland goes online! Discount retailer buys out rival as it prepares to roll out fully shoppable website after successful trial
- Poundland is set to make their online debut after buying out rival discount site
- Poundshop.co.uk was founded in 2014 and has almost 400,000 UK customers
- But now bargain hunters in the UK and Ireland will be able to buy items online
Poundland has announced its plans to sell its products online after the discount retailer bought out a rival’s website.
Poundland has acquired poundshop.co.uk, an online-only budget retailer founded in 2014, that will see it inherit its online platform, distribution centre and database of 400,000 customers across the UK.
The retailer trialled online shopping in Birmingham and Walsall last year and is now looking to expand.
Poundland already owns the poundland.co.uk website but for the majority of the UK it is simply a landing page to see the products available in stores.
Poundland has aquired poundshop.co.uk, a website founded in 2014 with almost 400,000 customers across the UK, meaning bargain hunters in the UK and Ireland who love a trip to Poundland will be able to get their favourite products online (file photo)
The jobs of all 65 staff members working at the Poundshop centre will be protected under the new ownership of Poundland.
A spokesman for Poundland said that all active online orders will still be fulfilled during the passing over of the business ownership and management.
They also said that this acquisition would help ‘power a national roll-out of its own pilot ecommerce operation’ where their items can be purchased online.
Poundland will retain all of the current Poundshop.com staff and during the integration process Poundshop.com will continue fulfilling customers’ orders as normal.
The price of the buy-out has remained a secret.
But this is one big step for the discounted retailer to roll-out their product lines, including their clothing range Pep&Co and their homeware items, to an online market.
This e-commerce operation has plans to one-up the website they have just acquired.
These new expansions of product ranges now joining the world wide web could put Poundland up against UK supermarkets who also offer an online shopping service (file photo)
Chairman of Poundshop.com, Steve Smith, and CEO Chris Maddox are said to be helping with the changeover in an ‘advisory capacity’, led by retail and transformation director at Poundland, Austin Cooke.
Mr Cooke is to lead the operation of Poundland’s online business day-to-day. They are also going to offer a Dealz online service, the Republic of Ireland’s version of Poundland.
This latest online business venture also complements Poundland’s recent opening of new stores, as well as an expansion of the current range, including more clothing from in-house brand Pep&Co, chilled and frozen food.
The managing director for Poundland, Barry Williams, said of the purchase: ‘This acquisition puts power and pace behind our aspirations to make our amazing products and value available to customers across the UK and Ireland, however they choose to shop.’
These new expansions of product ranges now joining the world wide web could put Poundland up against UK supermarkets who also offer an online shopping service.