99p Stores wins Irish retail race
Budget chain 99p Stores has beaten its Midlands rival Poundland to the punch by opening up in Ireland first. The Northampton company's Dublin store will open its doors next month under the €uro 50 Stores banner.
On 7 September, the retailer's first €uro 50 Stores outlet will be unveiled in Dublin's Ilac Shopping Centre. All products will be priced under €1.50, said 99p Stores' commercial director Hussein Lalani.
The company's announcement comes just weeks after West Midlands rival Poundland revealed it would enter the European market by introducing its Dealz stores in Ireland.
Alongside its move into Europe, 99p Stores said it planned to double the number of outlets it operates over the next four years, in a move that will create about 5,000 jobs.
The Dublin store takes the company's portfolio to 150, and Lalani said there are now plans for "rapid" expansion across Ireland.
Lalani said: "This is yet further proof that European consumer spending patterns have changed forever. The days of consumers being ripped off paying two and three euros for day to day essentials are a thing of the past."
"The consumer genie is out of the bottle. There’s no going back."
The new €uro 50 Stores division will sell ranges including babywear, biscuits, cosmetics, DIY, fashion and chilled foods.
It will also follow 99p Stores' lead and stock themed products like Halloween and Christmas lines.
More than 70 per cent of the products will be household brands such as Colgate, Disney, Johnson’s and Nivea, said Lalani.
He added: "It began with shoppers seeking bargains - now they expect value.
"This is because it has dawned on shoppers that they have been ripped for years and years by paying two and three euros a go for everyday essentials like washing-up liquid, tea, coffee, toilet rolls, toothpaste and the like.
"The recession has put 99p Stores on the consumer radar. There will be no going back on this when times get better."
