Poundland sells 5,000 sex toys A WEEK and their coloured and flavoured condoms work out at just 8p each… here’s how they make it so cheap
THE SAYING goes that everyone loves a bargain, which is probably why news of popular Poundland products spreads like wildfire.
Last year the chain expanded their range of SEX TOYS into more stores, and it seems the line has gone down a storm with delighted shoppers.
"We’ve got a product called The Bullet... you can imagine what the bullet does, and it’s got a battery with it as well," Trading Director Barry Williams told The Sun Online.
"But what fascinates me is we sell 5,000 a week. Five thousand!
"Let’s call it what it is – 5,000 vibrators a week.
"What the hell is going on in Britain that we are… we’re probably keeping more marriages together than anybody else.
"Relate are not doing anything for the nation, yet here’s us – 5,000 a week. That’s phenomenal. A quarter of a million a year."
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Interestingly, hasn't done anything to push it's sex toy line. Instead, it was customers who spread the word. The chain serves seven million of them a week.
"It’s not as if we’ve done something that other retailers would have done, with a big flashing light about it going, 'Was £50 Now £1 Buy It While It Lasts,'" he said.
"The customers come in and you’re watching them, they’re wondering around rummaging around looking for it, they’re trying to find these things."
Those who are fond of the racy offering will be pleased to hear the line could be expanding.
While Barry remained tight-lipped about what that entails, he did point customers towards another of the shop's sexy offerings.
"I wouldn’t want to describe the products to you because my mother might read this and she’ll be very disappointed in me, but I’m sure you can imagine there are other areas of that industry that would benefit from the Poundland view of value," he explained.
"Put it this way – we do a packet of 12 condoms that are coloured and flavoured.
"I mean, how much fun can you have for £0.08? Right? Answer me, what can you get for £0.08 nowadays? It’s a winner isn’t it? Why wouldn’t you?"
Other winning lines at the moment include make-up, reading glasses and the new Pep & Co range.
All of this begs the question, just how does Poundland keep prices so low?
There are a few secrets to the business, and top of the list is having good contacts with other companies.
That's so important as it means whenever somewhere else has too much stock they give Poundland a call, who are quick to snap it up.
Quick is the operative word too, as that's another reason they pip other companies to the post.
"I’m the guy that can say I’ll give you a decision today and I’ll take huge volumes off you and we’ll get it delivered tomorrow and we’ll pay you the next day and we’ll make it all really simple to trade with us," Barry said.
"But in return for that, what you need to do is give me exceptional value."
Some have voiced concerns that Poundland pack sizes are smaller than in the big supermarkets, which is why they keep costs down.
Barry insists that's not the case though, explaining that the difference is his store will stock one size of detergent whereas a supermarket will have several alternatives.
This ties in with his next secret, which is all about the bottom line.
"I’ve got a different profit expectation to my competitors because I want to operate a business that is high volume, small returns, but lots of them, so I want to keep it moving fast," he explained.
"Secondly I’m agile in the way that I source products, so I’m moving in and out of products to make sure I’ve got the value right.
"Thirdly, I’m operating a low cost business so everything that we’re doing is about reducing the cost to run our business."
Value is key to the brand, which ties into another titbit.
Certain things are impossible to offer for £1, which is why they never make it to the store.
All of that could be about to change with the company's new multiprice products though. They'll cost either £0.50, £1, £2 or £5, meaning bigger items will be seen on shelves.
"Take pet food, Barry explained.
"Pet is quite an interesting one for us. At £1 I can provide all of the treats that you need, the food, the dog toys, the cat balls. If you wanted a dog bed, well now at £2 or £5 I can start accessing that part of the market."
Five days after New Year, Poundland hit the headlines when it began selling copies of The Official Justin Bieber 2017 Annual - which was on sale for £7.99 elsewhere.
This was a prime example of how the company works to offer the best value possible.
"I bet even the Biebster would have tweeted about that if he’d known," Barry laughed.
"I'll tell you how it works. You could go to a business and try and sell your Justin Bieber annual and it’ll take you a while to get hold of someone on the phone.
"Once you do, they’ll say well I’ve got quite a busy diary but maybe we can sit down in June.
"They’ve got so much process around the decision that, ‘Can I just buy that and put it on the shelves?’ It doesn’t work like that.
"Whereas at Poundland my traders are the kings. They’re the bosses of their business and they’ll give you a decision right there on the spot."