Can Poundland bounce back, or will shoppers look elsewhere?

Poundland is facing a challenging period. In January, the discount retailer announced it would increase the number of products priced at £1 or less, aiming to improve its performance. The move comes as its owner, Pepco, has formally appointed advisors at Teneo to handle the sale of the chain. Our data suggests that consumer perception of Poundland has weakened over the past year, making this pricing strategy a crucial test for the brand.

The biggest concern is Poundland’s Value score, which measures whether consumers think the brand offers good value for money. Over the past year, its score has dropped from 25.2 in March 2024 to 17.9 in March 2025 – a decline of 7.3 points. For a retailer that built its reputation on affordability, this is a significant shift.

Meanwhile, its Quality score, which asks consumers whether they think Poundland’s products are good or bad quality, has improved slightly but remains low. It has moved from -21.6 to -19.3, indicating that while perceptions of quality have marginally improved, many shoppers still view its products unfavorably.

When compared to competitors, Poundland falls behind. B&M Bargains and Home Bargains both have significantly stronger Value scores (37.1 and 36.4, respectively) and better Quality ratings (-3.6 and -0.5, respectively).

Poundland’s Current Customer also reveal a distinct demographic trend. They are more likely to belong to the C2DE social grade – a classification that includes skilled manual workers, casual laborers, and those on state support – at 53% compared to 45% of all GB adults. They are also more likely to be lower-income earners, with 29% earning less than 75% of the median income, compared to 23% of the general population.

However, despite these struggles, Poundland remains part of a broader shopping ecosystem. More than half (53.4%) of Poundland’s current customers also shop at B&M Bargains, while 50.8% also shop at M&S, and 46.6% frequent Home Bargains and Primark. This shows that Poundland’s typical shopper does not rely solely on the chain but instead mixes purchases across different retailers.

With its latest commitment to bringing back more £1 products, Poundland is looking to restore trust in its pricing. But whether this move is enough to reverse its declining Value scores – and keep up with stronger competitors – remains to be seen.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Poundland’s Value score is based on the question: Which of the following brands do you think represents GOOD/POOR VALUE FOR MONEY? And Quality score is based on the question: Which of the following brands do you think represents GOOD/POOR quality? Both metric scores are delivered as a net score between –100 and + 100. Scores are based on an average daily sample size of 2115-3017 GB adults between March 1, 2024 – March 1, 2025. Figures are based on a 4-week moving average.

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for Great Britain is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.