Poundland’s supply chain boffins today released an alternative advent calendar that detailed the mundane items on shoppers’ December Christmas lists.
And that includes peak ‘bin bag day’ on Tuesday 16 December during a week when Poundland sells a third of all waste bags sold in December when Brits decide to clean their houses for Christmas.
Poundland, just like all other retailers, has been planning Christmas for almost a full year but the focus is on trees, tinsel and trimmings, the supply chain experts must think about the ordinary needs of shoppers too.
Key items that are a big part of festive preparations for shoppers include the items that shoppers think are just as important as the turkey and toys. They must have those down to a ‘T’ too.
During the run up to Christmas Poundland will sell:
– Roughly 40m batteries including 1.3m 18 packs and 2.3m 8-packs
– Almost 350,000 packs of £1 bin bags – that’s over 15m bin bags with a third of all bags sold in week commencing 15 December.
– Twice as many sticky wall hooks between 24 November and 7 December as Brits put up their decorations.
– Enough £1 Sellotape to stretch a quarter (6,900 miles) round the world.
– 1.5m packs of headache tablets ready for the hangovers.
– A dramatic increase in £1 roasting tins and kitchen foil on 22 and 23 December.
– Five times the number of paper plates during the two weeks commencing 15 December with peak paper plate day on 18 December.
“Of course, we all get excited about this time of year,” said Poundland’s director of supply chain and logistics Rus Curtis, “but our team of supply chain boffins know that a great Christmas depends on the less glamorous items our shoppers need too.”
“That’s why alongside wrapping paper, tinsel and selection boxes, we’ve also been planning to have those less exciting items in place on the right day, right through December.”
Across all its stores Poundland’s grocery aisles now offer three simple price points – £1, £2, £3 – after it went back to its roots earlier this year to end additional price complexity.
Around 60pc of grocery items are at £1, 20pc at £2, and 20pc at £3 offering customers simple value in every store, without the need for an account, data, membership or vouchers.
It has also brought the same £1, £2 and £3 simplicity to its 2025 Christmas ranges.
In the new year Poundland will extend this simplicity to its full general merchandise and clothing ranges, offering fewer price points and more focused ranges that customers can more easily see the value offered.
