'We visit the store everyday' - Black Country residents react as future of Poundland hangs in the balance
We visited Bilston - where the founder of the retailer started the business with a market stall - to find out what they think about the fears for its future.
Poundland has long been a staple store on British high streets - but what if one day its not?
The budget-friendly retailer, which has around 600 stores in the UK and Ireland including many across the West Midlands and Shropshire, has been in talks for a takeover deal with bidders including Martin Property Group and TG Jones owner Modella Capital as owner Gordon Brothers continued with efforts to secure a sale of the business.
Latest reports, however, have heightened fears the beloved discount chain could collapse within days, putting stores across the country at risk of closure.
So, we headed down to Bilston - the place where the idea for the business was born from a market stall - to find out what shoppers think about the news.
Jonathan Brooks, from Bilston, claims he visits the store on Church Street daily and he believes something should be done to save it.
The 37-year-old said: “It’s like an every day shop for us. Everybody loves Poundland.
“They need to pull their finger out and really do something about it because the community really needs Poundland to be around.
“It’s been around for years and years - even before I’ve been around. It would be a shame to see it go.”
Pensioners Janet & Ken, from Wolverhampton, who say they use the store weekly as it offers “really good value” believe that residents would be affected by the closure due to the rising costs of other stores.
Janet said: “It would be a loss. It would impact on them [the High Streets] because there’s a lot of cheap stuff in there and a lot of the other shops are a lot more expensive nowadays.”
Colin Hill, 65, from Bilston and Lynda Rist, 67, from Darlaston, also expressed how the store represented value for money for the customers.
Lynda said: “You get good quality for your money’s worth.”
She added that “people would struggle” if they store closes as a lot of people use it.
The pair compared the store to other budget friendly retailers such as B&M but Colin declared that Poundland is much cheaper.
What do you think about the Poundland news? Let us know in the comments.