Poundland

Since opening its first store in Burton-upon-Trent in 1990, Poundland has built a network of over 850 stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, offering top brands and great quality own brand products that provide customers with incredible value.

Project Context

9FT was enlisted to provide expertise and assurance for Poundland’s largest business transformation program to date. With other projects running simultaneously, and with Poundland inexperienced in running such large-scale initiatives, they faced the risk of change fatigue. Poundland therefore identified a need for external perspective and experience in structuring large-scale transformations to offset the strain of needing dedicated resources to support the program. The program aimed to launch a new product range across Poundland’s stores, evolving to identify process improvements to shape a new group-wide Target Operating Model.

Project Delivery

The ultimate aim of the project was to de-risk delivery and ensure the successful implementation of the new product range across Poundland’s stores. 9FT’s role in this encompassed program management, PMO delivery, and advisory support for business leadership. By working across these roles 9FT would be able to provide a true and transparent view of program status and focus leadership attention on the areas of highest risk. To achieve this 9FT engaged in coaching business sponsors, defining and managing the program plan, and facilitating proactive issue resolution throughout the buying, supply chain, and retail functions.  By working collaboratively with the Poundland Leadership Team, as well as building capability throughout the wider Poundland team, Nine Feet Tall were able to ensure the successful implementation of the new product range across all stores.

Outcomes

Nine Feet Tall’s work resulted in the successful launch of Pepco GM and Clothing ranges in over 850 Poundland stores, from product sourcing to shelf placement. The performance of these new ranges was monitored to gauge consumer response and feed into existing BAU range review processes. Moreover, pain points identified during the program served as a catalyst for a comprehensive review of the Pepco Group’s Target Operating Model, highlighting the program’s broader impact beyond immediate deliverables.

Nine Feet Tall helped transform our commercial supply chain operations. Their quick understanding and relentless focus on delivery meant we were able to meet our extremely tight deadlines. Their expertise was crucial to our success and loved the ‘hands on’ practical support they provided!

Ian Keyworth Head of Retail Change, Poundland