First look around Swindon's brand new Poundland

Poundland already has one store in the town centre in the Brunel Shopping Centre on Havelock Square, but the company are opening a larger store in Greenbridge Retail & Leisure Park on Saturday.

Jonathan Roberts, 41, is the area manager in charge of overseeing the project and was quick to note the unique size of the new shop.

“This store covers seven thousand square feet which is optimum size for us and varies from the town centre shop,” he said.

“It is a larger environment with more stock lines for our customers including PepCo clothing as well as frozen foods.”

The store will formally open on Saturday, December 10, and expectations of incoming business are high among the management.

“Everyone is buzzing for it, and we have had loads of people coming up to the doors and asking if they could buy things yet,” said store manager Dan Green, 32.

“It has been a hard week getting it all sorted but it is obviously going to have the rewards tomorrow when we open those doors and people flock in.”

The shelves were fully stocked ahead of Saturday's grand opening. (Image: Dave Cox)

The team have managed to turn around the store and fully stock it in a relatively short period with help from the vision and hard work of David Hennigan, 29, who is the remodelling and merchandiser coordinator.

“The store was completely empty on Monday and we have managed to do the whole refit in just five days,” he said.

“The staff have been tremendous, and the store is looking really good.”

The food options are also plentiful in the new Swindon store. (Image: Dave Cox)

Mr Hennigan is a seasoned Poundland pro, having been with the company for 9 years and helping to set up thousands of stores.

“I have set up stores all over the UK and Europe, having gone over to Spain, France and Ireland with my job,” he said.

“I’m proud to see the transformation of the stores over the years, I think it looks absolutely fantastic now.”

The project was originally scheduled for February, when Mr Green was recruited, but then it got pushed back until the back end of the year.

The new freezers were waiting to be stocked with frozen food products on Friday. (Image: Dave Cox)

December was chosen as the date for the opening and there is no coincidence that this coincides with Christmas and the high volumes of shopping that comes with the festive season.

“I think it is the time of the year when customers need us most,” said Mr Roberts.

“When they are looking for that value proposition and if we can get stores like this open before Christmas, it helps them spend a little less.”

You can also find clothes on offer at the new Poundland store alongside the usual food and home items. (Image: Dave Cox)

Despite the new store, Poundland remain satisfied with their initial shop in the town centre.

“Both stores serve a purpose for different customers, many people still enjoy shopping in the town centre,” said Mr Roberts.

“We want to hold the two stores in Swindon, its not relocation but instead a different offer for our customers.”

There are currently 17 members in the Greenbridge team, but this is likely to grow in the store’s maiden months.

“We are still recruiting and if you’d like to join us, you can find the advert on Indeed,” explained Mr Green.

The new Swindon Poundland store can be found in the Greenbridge Retail & Leisure Park. (Image: Dave Cox)

The team at Poundland are raring to go for this weekend’s opening and this plays into the team dynamic that exists within the business countrywide.

“It’s a great business as we really care about our teams and we look after our staff and we have issued them all with Christmas vouchers this year,” said Mr Roberts.

“This is something unique about this business as it really does care about its people.”

The store will open its doors at 9am on Saturday morning and the first few customers could be in with chance of attaining a special golden ticket voucher which will be handed out at random.