Jobs abound: Poundland looks to open 500 new stores to double network
2 October 2013
Discount retailer Poundland has announced major plans to double its network of stores to 1,000, a move which would create a substantial number of jobs, as other UK retail chains also look to hire.
Wed, 2 Oct 2013Discount retailer Poundland has announced major plans to double its network of stores to 1,000, a move which would create a substantial number of jobs, as other UK retail chains also look to hire.
The firm’s ambitious plans, also said to include the intention to float on the stock market in the first half of next year, would create thousands of jobs and see its 458-store network double in size in a non-specified period of time.
Poundland currently employs 12,679 staff. It opened 69 new stores last year and created 1,700 new jobs, equating to 25 people per store, having last year committed to 60 new stores and 2,000 new jobs, or 33 jobs per store.
The Reed Job Index for September shows retail as one of the stronger sectors for employment opportunities, with the index for the sector up 7% month-on-month and 31% year-on-year, while the British Retail Consortium says its recent footfall data shows “reason to be cautiously optimistic” for the industry.
And while the Poundland jobs may be a little further off, Argos last week launched its Christmas recruitment campaign, hoping to hire 10,000 seasonal workers to join its existing 30,000 strong store teams across the UK. This comes on top of Amazon's search for 15,000 seasonal staff and John Lewis' push to hire 2,000 temporary staff.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported yesterday that German supermarket Aldi is aiming to open 50 new UK stores this year, up from 34 last year.
Poundland’s bullish announcement comes the same day retail giants Sainsbury and Tesco release mixed interim financial results. While Tesco’s sales in the half year to 24 August grew 2%, trading profit was down 7.6%, while Sainsbury’s trading statement for the quarter ending 28 September shows total sales up a more healthy 5%.
Both retailers focused in their respective announcements on the need to keep diversifying their businesses. This means providing improved online services, but also their convenience store offerings, which Sainsbury’s themselves had previously touted for major jobs growth, and which the new recruitment head at rival Morrisons said was a key challenge in his new role.
The firm’s ambitious plans, also said to include the intention to float on the stock market in the first half of next year, would create thousands of jobs and see its 458-store network double in size in a non-specified period of time.
Poundland currently employs 12,679 staff. It opened 69 new stores last year and created 1,700 new jobs, equating to 25 people per store, having last year committed to 60 new stores and 2,000 new jobs, or 33 jobs per store.
The Reed Job Index for September shows retail as one of the stronger sectors for employment opportunities, with the index for the sector up 7% month-on-month and 31% year-on-year, while the British Retail Consortium says its recent footfall data shows “reason to be cautiously optimistic” for the industry.
And while the Poundland jobs may be a little further off, Argos last week launched its Christmas recruitment campaign, hoping to hire 10,000 seasonal workers to join its existing 30,000 strong store teams across the UK. This comes on top of Amazon's search for 15,000 seasonal staff and John Lewis' push to hire 2,000 temporary staff.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reported yesterday that German supermarket Aldi is aiming to open 50 new UK stores this year, up from 34 last year.
Poundland’s bullish announcement comes the same day retail giants Sainsbury and Tesco release mixed interim financial results. While Tesco’s sales in the half year to 24 August grew 2%, trading profit was down 7.6%, while Sainsbury’s trading statement for the quarter ending 28 September shows total sales up a more healthy 5%.
Both retailers focused in their respective announcements on the need to keep diversifying their businesses. This means providing improved online services, but also their convenience store offerings, which Sainsbury’s themselves had previously touted for major jobs growth, and which the new recruitment head at rival Morrisons said was a key challenge in his new role.
- Click for the Sector Analysis on Retail from the August edition of the magazine, also available in the online digital pageturner edition of Recruiter.
