Poundland has apologised to residents of Bury St Edmunds after misspelling the town’s name in a door-to-door leaflet.
The discount chain mailed thousands of residents with a leaflet saying in large print: “Poundland Bury St Edmonds now open.”
Critics noted that besides three misspellings of the town’s name – including in a £2 voucher at the bottom of the leaflet – the store is not new, as the wording implies.
“A ‘now open’ campaign for an existing store, sent to thousands of households, with the town’s name – and the saint it’s named after – spelled wrong,” wrote Sarah-Jane Middleton, director at foodservice PR and marketing firm Proactive Solutions, on LinkedIn.
“The basics matter. Get the fundamentals wrong and everything else – the offer, the message, the credibility – becomes that bit harder to trust.”
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Mark Cordell, CEO of Our Bury St Edmunds, the town’s Business Improvement District, commented: “Indeed very disappointed.”
Some saw the funny side. Alex Waddington, owner of consultancy Whetstone Communications, said: “Could have been worse. They could have called it Bury St Noel Edmonds.”
A Poundland spokesman said: “We apologise to shoppers in Bury St Edmunds for our vowel faux pas. We promise to get our ‘Ps & Qs’, as well as our ‘Us & Os’, right in future.
“Thankfully, regardless of our spelling slip-up, the voucher’s still good for a £2 discount at the store.”
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