Staff at a Poundland in Hillsborough had “no idea” why the store is closing – only six months after it opened.

The store – on Bradfield Road – opened in October 2023 as one of 71 stores Poundland took over from collapsed retailer Wilko.

However, this Saturday, it is set to close its doors yet again.

One member of staff – who did not want to be named – explained that they were notified of the closure “four or five weeks ago” but they had “no idea” about why this was happening.

In a statement today, Poundland said: “I’m afraid it’s correct that we’re closing that store later this month.  Sadly we’ve been unable to secure a long term lease that would enable us to keep trading. 

“We know that will be disappointing to customers and colleagues alike – we will, of course, do all we can, to look for other opportunities for colleagues.”

Poundland has been contacted for comment about why staff were not informed of the reasons for the closure.

Customer Joan Naylor, from Ecclesfield, said that the closure was “awful” for the staff, as well as a reflection of the increasingly frequent closures on local high streets.

“It doesn’t look very good, does it when people are coming into the city and seeing everything shutting down?” she said. “It seems as though Sheffield is just shutting, and it’s very sad.”

Long queues were seen this morning as customers flocked to the store for an ongoing half-price clearance sale with some customers leaving with “about twenty baskets worth” of products according to Ms Naylor.

Another shopper, Angela, from Crookes said that “it was nice to have some bargains” but ultimately it was a “surprise” to hear that it was closing so soon.

Since Poundland began taking over selected Wilko stores last September, they have employed more than 950 former Wilko employees – including eight from the Bradfield Road site.