Poundland’s much-vaunted £3 meal deal is off the menu until at least October as it makes new supply arrangements and shakes up stores in a restructure.
Poundland’s restructure plan, which received High Court approval on 26 August, includes the closure this year of its chilled and frozen depot in Darton, South Yorkshire, shifting all chilled distribution to its Harlow warehouse.
Poundland said in June as it announced the plan that the chilled range would be scaled back, but that the reduced offer would be “anchored around its market-leading £3 meal deal and other essentials such as milk”.
However, sandwiches and other basic chilled lines have been missing from its shelves since the start of September.
“We’ve got no fresh deliveries until October,” a Poundland store worker told The Grocer this week. “When the meal deal will be coming back I don’t know.”
Poundland’s meal deal ranges were supplied by manufacturers Greencore and Middlesbrough-based On a Roll Sandwich Company.
A Poundland spokesman said supplier details were “still being worked through” following the approval of the restructure plan.
Frozen food, which Poundland rolled out following its acquisition of Fulton’s Foods in 2020, is being removed altogether in the restructure.
The spokesman said stores were currently in “a transition phase as we remove freezers and some chiller cabinets”.
“We’re aiming to complete that programme by the beginning of October, allowing us to then fully roll out our revised grocery ranges focused around £1, £2 and £3 only,” he added.
At £3 for a main, snack and drink, Poundland’s meal deal undercut Tesco’s Clubcard Price meal deal by 85p. For non-Clubcard members, Poundland’s deal was £1.25 cheaper than Tesco’s.
To mark the launch of new lines last year, Poundland put a ‘blue plaque’ on 20 of its best-performing lunchtime stores, boasting it was “home of the high street’s best-value meal deal”.
In addition to its Harlow facility, the restructure leaves Poundland with a warehouse in Wigan, but this does not provide chilled distribution for the retailer.
The restructure plan has also involved the closure of 68 stores, while online sales and Poundland’s Perks loyalty app will be wound down from 16 September. Another distribution centre, at Springvale in Bilston, Wolverhampton, is set to close next year.
Investment firm Gordon Brothers, which bought Poundland from Pepco Group for £1 in June, has agreed to invest £90m to turn around the discount chain.
As revealed by The Grocer last month, Poundland’s recovery plan involves going back to pound shop basics, with the grocery range reduced by about a half and priced at £1, £2 or £3.
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