‘Not an attractive place to shop’: how Poundland lost its appeal to shoppers

Budget retailer had a pre-tax loss of more than 51m last year and is struggling to lure back customers amid stiff competition from rivals

It's not actually that cheap any more. It's kind of lost its appeal because everything is not a pound."

Samantha, a shopper outside Poundland's Luton retail park outlet who is heading off to B&M to find some better deals, sums up the feelings of many of her fellow bargain hunters and a central problem facing the new owner of the budget retailer.