
Poundland abruptly shuts popular store after 10 years – see full list of 22 closures
The bargain chain has shut a branch in Colchester retail park, in a blow to locals.
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In the past, residents of the area have described the store as "great".
While another fan said: "The place is big, with almost everything you need at an affordable price."
The popular store shut this week, according to reports in EssexLive.
It as Poundland is preparing to pulling down the shutters on a store in Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Dudley, on July 18.
Meanwhile, a second in Cowes on the Isle of Wight and a third in Newquay gear up to close on July 30 and August 1, respectively.
Poundland has already closed 16 stores across the UK since March last year, including in Macclesfield, Maidenhead and Flint.
These are the 22 stores that have shut:
Connswater Shopping Centre, Belfast – closed March 2024
Macclesfield – closed August, 2024
Maidenhead – closed October, 2024
Sutton Coldfield – closed October, 2024
Clapham Junction Station, London – closed May 2
Belle Vale Shopping Centre, Liverpool – closed May 6
St George's Centre, Gravesend – closed May 8
Southwark Park Road – closed May 14
Copdock Mill Interchange, Ipswich – closed May 20
Brackla, Wales – closed May 24
Chiswick High Road – closed May 28
Filton Abbeywood – closed May 31
Surrey Quays – closed June 11
Barrow Dalton Road - closed June 12
Union Gate, Bristol - closed June 20
Flint - closed June 21
Colchester - closed
Plymouth - closed July 5
Telford - closing July 19
Newquay - closing on July 30
Cowes, Isle of Wight – closing July 30
Newquay - August 1
RETAIL PAIN IN 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."

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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Peter Mandelson: ‘There's a kernel of truth in everything Trump says'
A uniformed man patrolling the Port of Baltimore asks: 'Do we have a security breach?' It isn't clear if he's joking. Someone has started driving laps around the high-security industrial complex in a rather expensive car that does not belong to them. That someone is Peter Mandelson. The Aston Martin Vanquish (in dark green) is one of 200 American orders of Bond-mobiles that have just arrived at the dock from Gaydon, Warwickshire, and St Athan in south Wales: a dividend, we are told, of the UK-US trade deal that saw tariffs cut, saving several car companies from job losses. The other week Mandelson, 71, bought a secondhand car in Washington. But as we take in the warehouse, the Labour veteran appears to be having second thoughts. 'Look at the soft top,' he says longingly, glancing at a baby-blue convertible. 'We are seeing brilliant first-class British products arriving here to pass into the hands of grateful, high-paying American consumers,' he says, switching to ambassador mode. 'That's very gratifying for me and the embassy team, having worked with London to achieve that. It means those Aston Martins and similar British products having a 17.5 per cent competitive advantage over Mercedes and Ferraris.' Is this a Brexit benefit? 'That's a good question,'' the one-time Europhile replies, hours before President Trump unveils a new 30 per cent tariff on goods from the European Union. 'Undoubtedly, we couldn't have done this deal if we had remained part of the European Union. We lost many other things by leaving, but we get the chance to do this deal. So there's some positives.' Mandelson arrived six months ago, but this is his first newspaper interview. He's had plenty going on in that time — tariffs, Ukraine and Iran — but initially the biggest question was whether he would still be in the job at this point. Mandelson, who once described Trump as a 'danger to the world', was a controversial pick and regarded with suspicion by Maga figures. 'One guy called me an absolute moron,' Mandelson says, referring to a tweet by Trump's election campaign co-chief, Chris LaCivita. 'I've been called many things in my life, but never a moron. Certainly not an absolute moron.' He now suspects foul play: 'I gather he had been teed up to say this, so that's life.' By who? 'Let's draw the veil.' As things turned out, Mandelson, ended up playing midwife to the trade deal, which opens the door to a renewed special relationship. Trump greeted him warmly on entering the Oval Office, calling him 'a handsome guy'. The moment instantly cleared the air. 'Every potential cloud was lifted. That was the message to the Maga base that was needed,' he says. Since then, the welcome has been warm. 'I think they regard me as a slightly exotic target of their fascination … oh I shouldn't have said that,' he adds, before turning to apologise to his media adviser. Having the presidential thumbs-up helped because all power in Washington descends from the Oval Office. 'I've never been in a town or a political system that is so dominated by one individual. Usually, you're entering an ecosystem rather than the world of one personality. But he is a phenomenon. A unique politician.' The pair have now met several times and Mandelson has also made inroads with the president's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. The pair attended the same dinner last week. Yet there are limits to how far charm can go. The UK is still facing heavy steel tariffs as well as the base ten per cent rate on all imports. Can these be negotiated away? 'I think the ten per cent universal tariff is here to stay,' Mandelson says. 'But there is plenty of scope in different sectors.' He is pushing in particular for a technology deal. • Mandelson wants the UK to make a tech 'moonshot'. Can we do it? Having sold Britain to America, Mandelson now plans to do it the other way around and is planning a UK lecture this September on 'why the special relationship needs to remain special' — which could be a tough sell in a country where Trump is deeply unpopular. 'Our relationship with the United States is anchored not just in history and sentiment, but in mutual interest,' he says. He argues that this is more than just a symbolic alliance — it's an economic lifeline built on flows of trade and investment. And, by implication, bigger than the personalities running the respective governments. What type of welcome should the US president receive for his unprecedented second state visit in September? 'He should expect a warm reception because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it,' he replies. 'He trusts Keir Starmer. It's not a question of expressing our gratitude. My lodestar here is to demonstrate respect, not sycophancy. I don't think the administration has any problem with that.' Some of his Labour colleagues, however, have started a petition to stop Trump addressing parliament: Diane Abbott is one. 'Well there's a surprise,' he replies with a smile. 'But I had assumed that at the time of the visit parliament won't be sitting.' A problem avoided. • Michael Gove: Why Peter Mandelson is the best choice to handle Trump In the UK are there misconceptions about Trump? 'He is a more nuanced figure than people appreciate,' Mandelson says. 'Look, he's not only a unique politician — he's also going to be one of the most consequential presidents in American history. He has this sense of history, this grasp of power which I think perhaps recent inhabitants of the White House haven't quite seen. He is not a man for endless seminars and thinking. He's not a victim of analysis paralysis. He has a very quick, easy way of grasping the core points about an issue. And let's be honest: more often than not, there's a kernel of truth in everything he says.' This includes border control. 'If you take immigration, for example, people feel that the work of ICE [US federal immigration agency] and the policy of deportation is extreme. But what he's trying to roll back was an extreme opening up of the Mexican border. Allowing anyone from anywhere in the world to fly in and simply pass into the United States — and fan out across the country without any control or management! The public wouldn't stand it.' Illegal crossings, which peaked at 300,000 a month under President Biden, collapsed when Trump took office to about 12,000 a month. Mandelson sees parallels between Trump's policy and Sir Keir Starmer's recent speech about three basic priorities: to control immigration, combat discrimination and promote integration. 'Those are the three guiding principles,' he says. 'You have to get all three right. You can't have a society growing apart, sections, groups, communities. That's when people get really worried.' What did he make of the recent welfare rebellion in the UK on the same week Rachel Reeves cried in the Commons? 'It's not really right as ambassador to offer commentary on what's going on back home,' he says. Did he reach out to his old friend? 'I sent her an emoji.' Which one? 'That's between us.' • Lord Mandelson honoured by the Maga elite Failure to control welfare and immigration is likely to help Nigel Farage, a sometime member of the court of Mar-a-Lago. Reform UK came up in conversation when Mandelson hosted JD Vance at the ambassador's residence for brunch recently while Vance's children played in the garden with Mandelson's 'diplo-dog' Jock . 'I explained to the vice-president that, yes, highly effective populists and political actors like Farage can take advantage. At the end of the day, at the election people will be choosing their future government — not having a fling, expressing a protest or demonstrating their impatience. And in that sense, I said, perhaps Nigel is peaking too soon.' Mandelson says Vance gives the impression of being 'a bit of a brute' but is 'rather more nuanced in his views when talking in private'. He told Vance that their two governments have common ground. 'The mandates that both President Trump and Keir Starmer won at their elections last year came from the same sense of anger that many voters have. That they've been overlooked: the system was not delivering for them, that they were being taken for granted. 'But what's different about Britain is that we seem to have been travelling through a long, dark tunnel for ten years, with no signs of light or hope for people. It has just seemed one thing after another. And I feel people are emerging from that tunnel, almost blinking into the daylight.' • Peter Mandelson: how prince of darkness became the Trump whisperer Except there is not much daylight yet. Wages are growing so slowly that the average British worker is expected to be paid less in 2030 than they were before the 2008 crash. Mandelson acknowledges that voters will be frustrated if Starmer's landslide does not translate into progress. 'There's a problem in the majority. People think it's so big that remedial action will follow immediately; that things will be turned around overnight simply because of the size of the majority that the government has. I'm afraid that the problems built up over such a long period are very deep. I think as long as people see progress and momentum being maintained, they will stick with the government.' And will Europe stick with America, when their president is threatening tariffs? Is Washington still a dependable ally? 'The first six months of Trump's presidency have demonstrated the opposite. People said he's an isolationist; that 'America first' means America alone. Well, that's obviously not the case. Forceful interventions: the opposite of isolation.' He goes on to list Trump's various foreign policy interventions from Ukraine, Iran, India and Pakistan and the Congo. So does Trump deserve a Nobel peace prize? A long pause follows. 'A lot done. A lot still to do.' A work in progress then? 'A work in progress.' Trump's action on Iran has dismayed some of his Maga base, as has an official government report concluding there was no Jeffrey Epstein client list. Mandelson knew the deceased sex offender. Is there nothing to see here? 'I don't know whether there's a conspiracy or not. But thankfully he is literally in the past. And as somebody who met him, knew him, and regretted ever being introduced to him, I'm glad he's in the past.' We leave the docks and head for a local delicacy: Chesapeake crab cakes. Mandelson recalls visiting a friend in Maryland when 'we had to tear apart and eat crabs for about two hours. It was quite exciting.' He wore a bib. Today's lunch is less effort. Is he enjoying his new chapter? 'Washington is the most political city in the world. So it's hardly surprising that I feel quite at home. It's a town whose plot lines and narratives and intentions would feel very familiar to Shakespeare, Cicero and Charlemagne. It's like something out of a movie, this place. It's quite transactional but very social.' He admits to finding it a bit 'relentless'. An average day involves getting up at six and then for the next three hours 'tuning into Britain'. That means playing back the Today programme and responding to 'countless messages and emails from London'. Then he moves to the 9-5: going to Capitol Hill and meeting business leaders — 'I mean endless meetings'. At 5pm? 'I hit the Washington social scene,' he says. 'Then I crawl into bed at 10.30 and it starts all over again at six. And weekends are similar to weekdays.' For the 4th of July, he went to a party at the Kennedy Centre, hosted by the Trump ally Richard Grennell, and ate hot dogs. A few days ago he caught up with his old colleague Tony Blair who was in town. This weekend he's hosting a Wimbledon-branded bash where Jock will receive a special gift. There were reports recently that George Osborne was on No 10's shortlist for the ambassador job prior to Mandelson's appointment. 'I had not heard that,' he says. 'George is a skilful and effective person. I think that there are real advantages in him … somebody with a political background is able to say things in ways more directly and get listened to when civil servants might find it harder.' Are the requirements of an ambassador changing? 'Certainly in a country like this,' he says. 'As a former politician with sharp elbows who knows how to use his voice, who is practiced in reading the room, I think I can add value. So long as I don't fall out of the room.'


Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Reeves to stop green groups from blocking defence investment
The Chancellor will announce plans to stop environmental activists blocking investment in defence in a major speech next week. Banks and pension funds currently follow environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards drawn up by private firms, which are meant to measure their impact on wider society. But pension giants and banks have been criticised for allowing these rules to restrict how much they invest in defence companies, on the basis that the firms do not promote social good. Rachel Reeves plans to bring ESG ratings under the powers of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), to ensure there is only one set of rules in future. The Treasury is expected to lay out secondary legislation later this year to facilitate the change. The new rules will benefit defence companies by making it clear that investors must take into account their positive role in keeping Britain secure. A Treasury source told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Rachel has always been clear that supporting the defence industry is consistent with ethical investing. 'If opaque ESG ratings are getting in the way of private investment, that has to change.' Officials are said to be looking to raise the profile of the Defence Investors' Advisory Group, and believe this would be a good opportunity to do so, a City source said. The group, which will be comprised of venture capital and private equity firms, will support defence start-ups and advise on how best to generate investment. In addition, the Ministry of Defence is expected to devise a financial services strategy by March 2026. A government consultation last year concluded that requirements for transparency around ESG ratings would support 'greater investor awareness of the defence industry's role'. 'Ill-considered anti-defence rules' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer vowed to spend at least 5 per cent of the UK's GDP on national security by 2035, including core defence spending rising to at least 2.5 per cent by April 2027, and 3 per cent by 2034. In March, more than 100 MPs and peers signed an open letter to the UK's finance industry urging it to 'sweep away ill-considered anti-defence rules' that limit investments in the arms industry. The letter said: 'We must rethink ESG mechanisms that often wrongly exclude all defence investment as 'unethical'.' Signatories include high ranking military figures including Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, the former general secretary of Nato, and Baron West of Spithead, a former Admiral in the Royal Navy. Aviva, Royal London and the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) were among pension giants to restrict defence investment on ethical grounds. Later that month, António Simões, the chief executive of major pension firm Legal & General, said that defence companies should be considered ethical investments because countries need to be able to defend themselves. He said: 'There's no reason in principle why investing in defence companies cannot be consistent with responsible investing. 'Governments should promote peaceful and inclusive societies but countries also may need to defend themselves. This is a UN-type of principle. We've always said that defence companies, including UK defence companies, can be invested in.' Around £17 billion is invested in ESG funds in Britain. These ethical funds boomed in popularity after Covid with nearly 3,000 launched between 2020 and 2023 globally, attracting $600 billion of investment. Concerns have been raised that funds with ESG labels do not return as much for investors. Investors in actively managed 'green' funds would have seen their money underperform the average UK equity market by 3.8 per cent a year between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2025, analysis by SCM Direct found in February.


Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Labour to spend millions on electric car handouts
Labour will unveil £700m of taxpayer-funded subsidies to encourage the public to buy more electric cars. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, will this week announce grants for drivers to help cover the upfront cost of a new vehicle as well as more cash for charging points. Her intervention comes amid growing concern within the Government that flagging sales of battery-powered cars are putting net zero targets at risk. Labour has kept Conservative plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, which will force motorists to switch to electric-powered vehicles. But many drivers have been put off by high upfront costs, with battery-powered models typically costing thousands more than their petrol counterparts. The average price of a new electric vehicle in Britain is just under £50,000, more than double the cost of a typical petrol car at £22,000. Electric vehicles have also been plagued by high depreciation, losing their value faster than petrol and diesel cars because their batteries degrade. The Transport Secretary told The Telegraph: 'We do know that the high upfront purchase cost of EVs is something that people are wary about. 'I think we've got to be honest and say there are a lot of people out there who think that EVs are just for the very wealthiest. 'We also want to really move away from people having range anxiety, to people having range awareness and knowing that they're going to be able to make the journeys that they want to make. 'It's right that the Government thinks in the round about what we can do to tackle both of the issues, on charging and on the upfront cost of purchase.' This week, ministers will announce two new taxpayer-funded schemes to make it cheaper to buy an electric car in an attempt to stimulate sluggish demand. Ms Alexander is expected to unveil a new £640m grant scheme which will give people money off the down payment on a new battery-powered vehicle. The Telegraph understands that the plan, to be published on Tuesday, will see the highest levels of grants available for UK-manufactured vehicles. It will favour Nissan in particular, which is planning to make the next generation of Leaf electric vehicle at its plant in Sunderland from next year. There will be a cut-off point at which the grant can no longer be claimed, with buyers of more expensive models, like Teslas, not expected to be eligible. Ministers revive Tory subsidy programme Any subsidy scheme may take the form of the Government underwriting loans, which drivers could take out to help them cover the upfront payment. The programme will effectively revive a system of cash handouts which were previously available to EV buyers before being axed by the Tories in 2022. Under that scheme, drivers got £1,500 off the price of a new electric car. Since then, grants have only been available for vans, taxis, trucks and motorbikes. At the time, ministers said the subsidies were no longer needed because they had 'successfully kickstarted the UK's electric car revolution'. Since then, EV sales have continued to grow strongly, but they have been increasingly fuelled by fleet purchases rather than private demand. Recent figures showed that the number of enquiries about new electric cars from ordinary consumers has fallen 65 per cent year-on-year. There are just over 1.5m EVs on the UK's roads at present, records show, compared with 19.2m petrol and 11m diesel vehicles. Motability's expanding role in EV market One of the major fleet buyers of electric cars is the taxpayer-funded Motability Scheme, which leases cars to people who receive disability benefits. The controversial programme, which has been branded Britain's biggest 'benefits scandal', has recently doubled its fleet of EVs to around 70,000 vehicles. On Sunday, Ms Alexander will also unveil £63m in funding to bankroll the installation of tens of thousands of new charging points across the country. Under the plans, councils will be given cash to install cables under roads where the houses do not have driveways to allow for on-street charging. It will mean that, for the first time, many EV owners who live in terraced houses will be able to use cheaper domestic electricity rates to charge their cars. There will also be extra cash to increase the number of electric ambulances, and road signs will be put up on motorways and A-roads to advertise charging stations. Put together, the two schemes will represent an investment by the taxpayer of around £700m over the next four years in boosting EV sales.