Poundland goes European in Northern Ireland

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24 February 2010 - Poundland, Europe’s biggest single price discount retailer, will start accepting euros in all of its Northern Ireland stores from March 2010. Strabane, which opens on 4 March, will lead the way followed by a rollout to all eight Poundland stores in Northern Ireland from April.

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Exciting Move

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The decision to accept dual payment further improves Poundland’s customer service in store. Poundland is confident that this latest initiative will have great appeal and will make shopping even easier for savvy customers living in Eire to pop across the border and shop in stores such as Strabane. Customers who visit Poundland regularly pick up great quality items including over 1,000 well known brands for amazing value whichever way they choose to pay.

After launching the initiative in Strabane, all other stores in Northern Ireland will accept both pounds and euros from the end of April. Automated systems will be implemented by 1 May in Strabane, until which time manual processes will be in place.

At the new Strabane store, a number of tills will be dedicated to euro payments and others will accept sterling payment to ensure all customers are catered for. While prices and in-store point of sale materials will remain in pounds sterling, conversion rate point of sale will be displayed at till points.

Jim McCarthy, Chief Executive, Poundland, says: “This is an exciting move for Poundland; the first time in 20 years that the company has catered for customers who choose to pay in currency other than sterling. Poundland is well established on the UK high street but in Northern Ireland we want to offer our customers on both sides of the border the most convenient payment method. We look forward to welcoming both new customers and the new currency to our stores in Northern Ireland.”