Poundland in peril: how rampant inflation and price wars left £1 stores exposed

With the chain on the brink of administration, its low-profile US owners face questions about their conduct

“It was a very successful and simple proposition,” laments one former Poundland boss. With every product in the shop sold at £1, and the price in its name, its proposition to shoppers was the clearest of any UK high street chain.

Now the UK’s first and biggest nationwide single-price retailer could disappear amid heavy competition and inflation that has eaten into its ability to offer bargains.

Its potential collapse has brought distress for its up to 12,000 staff in the run-up to Christmas, and as shoppers head to the chain for Halloween costumes and treats.