Pound shop price war; items going for 93p

Pound shop price war: 
Budget stores battle for customers 
with items going for 93p

Pound shop price war; Budget stores battle for customers with items going for 93p

Poundland and 99p Stores at the Kingsgate shopping centre in Dunfermline are dropping their prices in competition with each other.

Two discount shops have engaged in a price war, dropping their prices to as low as 93p.

The 99p Store in the Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Dunfermline, has steadily dropped its prices from 97p to 95p - in what bosses call ‘tactical marketing’.

But the Poundland shop – less than give doors up, whose slogan is ‘Yes, Everything’s £1’ – has undercut its competitor and is selling products for 93p.

It is understood that both shops are set to continue lowering their prices in the next few weeks as the pound war continues, according to the Daily Record.

Delighted customer Eileen Watson, said there could only be one winner in ‘the battle of the bargains’ – consumers.

The 64-year-old council worker, from Kirkcaldy, buys all her household goods from the stores and is happy to count the savings.

She told us: “I buy all my toiletries and cleaning products from Poundland and the 99p Store – I get all my food elsewhere.

“They’ve got all the bits and pieces I need and it can only be good for all of us if they’re undercutting each other. Anything that brings the price of a shopping trip down has to be good for all consumers.”

Lorna Cormack, 24, from Dunfermline, who works in Costa Coffee, described the price war as “hilarious.”

She said: “I think it’s quite funny how both shops are constantly changing their prices. Both shops are great for household goods like toilet rolls, bleach and bags of sweets for the kids.

“But I think we all want to know how low can they both go though? That has to be the question. Will we soon see 75p or 50p shops?”

Another shopper said: “If you are on a pension every penny matters, and depends how many things you buy. I run a carer group, we are all short of money. You go round to find the cheapest. I was brought up in the war, you did things like that, you didn’t have a lot of money.”

Last night Poundland spokeswoman Angharad (CORR) Couch said the pricewar was great news for consumers.

She said: “Poundland always aims to offer great quality products for amazing value to all its customers. Like all retailers we test competitor response options all the time and this is just one of a number of tactical options.

“Poundland knows how important value is to customers and we regularly check our prices against those of our competitors to ensure we offer the best value.”

A spokeswoman for the 99p Store declined to comment on the price war.

The family run company started in 2001 and is the UK’s second largest single price point retailer, with over 220 stores nationwide and 2 million customers every week.

Its website says: “We appreciate the strain many people can face when budgeting, and the need to make the most out of every penny. Our prices are consistently low all-year round. We don’t need to rely on promotions because our customers can always rely on the best value products and biggest brands from our stores. With more than 30 NEW stores opening every year, were expanding and bringing the 99p Stores shopping experience to more customers and families across the UK.”