FESTIVE SPIRIT
High street bargain chain with 800 branches to close ALL stores to give staff a break on Boxing Day
Plenty of other retailers have announced they will close on Boxing Day
A MAJOR high street bargain retailer has confirmed it will shut all its stores on Boxing Day to give staff a well-earned break.
Poundland, which runs over 800 UK stores, said it will close shops on December 25 and 26.
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The discounter said all its locations will also shut on New Year's Day as a thank you to staff.
Meanwhile, workers will be given a £25 voucher to spend in their local Poundland branch ahead of Christmas.
Simon Wells, people director at Poundland, said: "We have brilliant colleagues here at Poundland & Dealz who work incredibly hard throughout the year, bringing our brands to life every day and supporting our customers.
"But we know they all particularly shine at Christmas, bringing the magic to our stores that our customers know and love.
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"We’re delighted to be able to support them with a well-earned rest once the festive season is over."
It comes as Poundland launches a drive to employ 1,000 new seasonal staff to cover the busy festive period.
The majority of the shop floor roles will end on Christmas Eve while some will be extended until early January.
You can find out more by visiting Poundland's website.
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It is common practice for retailers to close their stores on Christmas Day but not all shut branches the following day.
Some also shut branches on New Year's Day to give staff an extra day off over the Christmas period.
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Several other retailers have already confirmed they will shut on Boxing Day as well as Christmas Day this year.
Aldi confirmed it will shut on December 25 and 26, as will Home Bargains, John Lewis and Waitrose.
DIY retailer Homebase has also said it will shutter branches over the two-day period.
If you're keen to find out whether your favourite retailer will close its branches on Boxing Day, it's worth keeping an eye on social media.
Why do retailers close on Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.So why do retailers decide to close?
Senior Consumer Reporter Olivia Marshall explains.
Closing on Boxing Day allows staff to have a well-deserved break after the busy Christmas period.
This can help improve staff morale and reduce burnout.
It also provides them with an opportunity to spend time with their families and friends during the festive season.
For some retailers, the cost of opening on Boxing Day, including staffing and operational expenses, may not be justified by the expected sales revenue, especially if customer footfall is low.
With the rise of online shopping, some retailers may focus on online sales and promotions rather than opening physical stores on Boxing Day.
For some businesses, it may also be a long-standing tradition for them to remain closed on Boxing Day.
From a practical perspective, the day after Christmas can be used for inventory checks, restocking, and preparing for post-Christmas sales.
This can be more effectively done without the distraction of serving customers.
Chains often publicise their festive opening hours on X and Facebook.
You can also try using a retailer's store locator tool which should tell you the opening hours for your local branch.
Most of the time, it will also give you a number to call to find out opening times.
The latest two announcements from Poundland come after the bargain chain launched its loyalty scheme UK-wide.
It is now rolling out its Poundland Perks rewards scheme to all branches and online.
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The bargain discounter has been trialling the phone-based loyalty scheme at around 100 stores in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Wight since last year.
Shoppers can download the Poundland Perks app onto their smartphone via the Google Play and Apple App Store.
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