Poundland in Fareham opens new store at site of former Wilko shop after relocating

Poundland moved from a nearby unit at Market Quay to a bigger premises at the former Wilko unit at 74 West Street. Shoppers braved the rain and queued up before the shop opened at 9am.

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Tim Benham, store manager, said: “We’ve moved because (the new store) has better premises, a bigger offer and much broader scope. We’ve got plenty of opportunity to extend the range and show customers what we are all about.”

Mark Taylor, area manager, said: “As a company we've managed to take on 70 of these sites and reinvest back into the community. We’ve opened up stores that have closed down and have taken on the staff who worked for Wilko and were made redundant.

“We’ve got a far bigger range of products than we had round the corner. In the new year we’ll have fresh food coming in.”

Fareham’s Wilko shut on September 28 for the final time following the company’s collapse into administration.