Poundland overtaken in Irish retail race
Budget chain 99p Stores has beaten its Willenhall rival Poundland to the punch by opening up in Ireland first.
The Northampton company's first Dublin store will open its doors next month under the €uro 50 Stores banner.
99p Stores' announcement comes just weeks after West Midlands rival Poundland revealed it would enter the European market by introducing its Dealz stores in Ireland.
Earlier this month, Poundland said it would branch out of the UK for the first time in its 21-year history.
Poundland said it would open six Dealz stores by the end of March next year.
However, its much-heralded move across the continent, which chief executive Mick McCarthy revealed to Insider earlier this year, has been usurped by its Northampton rival.
On 7 September, 99p Stores' 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.
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."
