CUSTOMERS have cried “we’re going to have no shops” as a bargain chain gears up to shut one its stores within days.
Poundland is pulling down the shutters on its branch at the Chineham Shopping Centre near Basingstoke on December 31.
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A spokesperson for the retailer, which operates over 800 branches in the UK, said the site is closing after it was unable to renew the lease.
They added employees will be relocated to nearby Poundland stores including the branch in Festival Place, central Basingstoke.
Residents have reacted with devastation following the news the store will pull down its shutters for good.
One said: “Noooo! What the hell is happening we’re going to have no shops no choice nothing but coffee shops barbers and phone shops.”
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Meanwhile, a second commented: “Sad to see it go as it saves a lot of people a wasted journey into town.”
A third fuming shopper added: “FF sake we literally won’t have any shops left soon.”
It comes as Poundland gears up to close another one of its stores in Colwyn Bay, Wales, on January 5 next year.
Residents have reacted to the closure with equal anger, with one admitting: “There won’t be anything left soon.”
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It’s not all bad news for Poundland though, as the retailer is massively expanding its portfolio as well shutting some sites.
In October, Pepco, which owns the chain, announced it would open 75 stores by Christmas.
The month before, it took on 71 former Wilko sites after its rival collapsed into administration.
It has already opened 64 out of the 71 and hired more than 1,000 former Wilko staff.
Today, Poundland’s boss said the retailer had experienced “amazing” trade across the acquired former Wilko sites.
Austin Cooke said: “There is still plenty of positivity on the high street.
“Every time we have opened a new store we see that – people are really chuffed we are opening up in their towns.
“You can’t deny times are tricky for many and the cost of living situation is having an impact, but it just gives us more and more reason to give outstanding value.”
Mr Cooke said Poundland had already refurbished and installed freezers and other food aisles in some of the reopened Wilko stores.
Mr Cooke added: “The response in those Wilko shops from customers and workers has been amazing.
“We saw an opportunity there to accelerate our openings are really happy with how it has gone.”
Poundland has opened 23 other stores separate to the 71 Wilko units in the past 70 days as part of its expansion plans.
Why are retailers closing stores?
Plenty of major retailers and smaller businesses have been hit hard in recent years, particularly on the high street, as consumers turn to online retail.
High inflation since 2022 has seen households’ budgets squeezed too, meaning they’ve got less expendable cash.
That, combined with high energy and wage costs, has seen a number of businesses forced to close stores.
In July, Boots Pharmacy said it would be closing 300 branches as part of plans to consolidate its portfolio.
Meanwhile, a number of retailers have crashed into administration, including Paperchase, M&Co and most notably Wilko.
But it’s not all bad news as a number of retailers have been expanding, like Poundkand.
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Supermarket chain Iceland has been opening stores, with some under the Iceland Local brand.
Primark and B&M have all been growing their portfolios too, with B&M acquiring 51 former Wilko sites.
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