Discount retailer to open 50 stores

BRITISH discount retailer Poundland has plans to open up to 50 shops in Ireland over the coming years.

Initially it will open six stores in Dublin and Cork by March next year — a move that will create 180 jobs.

This is the first expansion by Poundland outside of Britain and the Irish stores will be called “Dealz” — a move that will give it flexibility on pricing across Europe.

The company has carried out extensive research on the Irish market over the last two years and they said they believe the time is right to expand here.

Poundland chief executive Jim McCarthy said the Irish stores would be “well-positioned” to cater for consumers who were looking for more value. He added the prices in its Irish stores had not yet been fixed.

Dealz will open in October with almost 25,000sq ft of retail selling space, in a move that is expected to be worth €2m to the economy.

The company would not confirm the exact location of the Irish stores. The outlets stores will be led by Irish management and the company is on the hunt for a chief executive of the Irish division.

Among the items Dealz will be selling include food, health and beauty products, homeware items, DVDs and seasonal ranges. Dealz will also stock a number of locally sourced products which will be secured from Irish producers, including milk, eggs and crisps.

Mr McCarthy said the company is “really excited” about expanding the business Ireland.

“Dealz will offer customers amazing value on an extensive range of products and we are confident that value savvy Irish consumers will love it.

“We plan to support Irish suppliers by stocking locally sourced milk, eggs and many other products. In addition to helping sustain Irish employment, we will be creating at least 180 new jobs in the Irish market place as a direct result of our expansion,” he said.