Poundland repossessed by landlords

Poundland in Oldham town centre has been repossessed by its landlords, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

Staff were sent home from the High Street branch today (Monday, June 30).

The sudden closure comes as Poundland undergoes a national restructure, which could see up to 150 stores closed across the UK.The Oldham town centre shop was not tipped to be among the first 68 closures.

The closures follow the shopping chain’s acquisition by investment firm Gordon Brothers.

Landlords Merchant Taylor Commercial served the notice at around 9am this morning, taking possession of the contents of the shop unless Poundland pays a Bailiff Fee to reclaim them, a notice hung at the entrance declares.

A spokesperson for Poundland said: “This was an unexpected development this morning, and we are working hard to understand why the landlord has taken action at the Oldham store to prevent us from opening as usual.  “Poundland is currently going through a process nationally, under which a number of stores will close, subject to court and creditor approval but the Oldham store is not one of those and our rental payments are up to date.   

“We obviously apologise for the inconvenience to customers in the meantime.”
Merchant Taylor Commercial did not want to provide comment.

Oldham council are ‘reaching out’ to staff members who may be worried about redundancy.

Oldham townhall boss Arooj Shah said: “It’s a shock to see that the Poundland store in our town centre has been shut this morning. We know that nationally, the struggling chain is closing many of its stores, and private landlords can’t always support struggling retailers, which appears to be the case here.

“My thoughts are with all of the staff who I know will be worried about redundancy. Our Get Oldham Working team will be reaching out to see if they can support them during this difficult and uncertain period.

“The closure of another brand from our high street highlights the need to develop and adapt town centres, and this is very much our plan for Oldham, to build a diverse offer including hospitality, leisure and culture as well as strengthening retailers.”