Pound Shop Wars - FULL Episode S1E1 | A True Story

you know get asked mostly in here believe it or not is how much is this how much is this that is the truth I'm gonna tell you shammy's across Britain shopping centers war is being waged for the pound in your pocket every High Street in this country is a target to open a 99 pistol I thought we're the Harrods of the pound shop and I'll just put one of them 4.99 I'll pay for it in bargain hunting Brides that'll be ideal for tomorrow just put me loose changes Southern Savers the 99p stores want to take over the north our Army's armed and ready and now we're also adjusted into the top spot are determined to expand South we all try our artists to outdo each other or even opening shops and places are opening up next to us we do fight back it's a race where every penny can it's the battle and it's always going to be the survival of the fittest but which family chain will end up dominating our high streets [Music] what I like to think about it as pound Wars Britain is suffering a High Street bloodbath in the last two years over ten thousand shops have closed [Music] but there's one sector of retail which is rapidly expanding the pound shop once the Pariah of the High Street now the customers conquer enough of these discount stores there you go it's just about 99p portfoli for money my girl that's cheap enough two bottles of washing up Liquid a pound in fact happy to spend the day in the shop to be honest you can get a bra for 99p so I'm having them rice pudding a pound there's never anything you can't afford if I want something I just get it flashing beer mug only 99p a vajazzle one pound Ginger beans at three for a pound everything about the kitchen sink we'll be here about four times a week but some people hate them um you're not going to get a classy looking pound Shop people associate them with going down part of the country it's like a stigma isn't it and Market Traders feel threatened by them they sell all these big Diaries at 99p and I can't even buy them at 99p it's going to cause no big problems it's January and American-owned poundland is the biggest chain of single price shops with over 374 Outlets next is the southern Base Family firm 99p stores with 154 shops we're number two for now the third place is the number you've always got one iron your competitor the competitor keeps your own guitars your firms pound world and 99p stores both have huge plans to multiply every High Street in this country is a Target open a 99 pistol somewhere along the line we're all going to meet on the same ice Street let the power on shop Wars begin the headquarters of the 99p stores is in Northampton Hussein Lalani is his family firm's commercial director and we'll do whatever it takes to get publicity [Applause] our 99p Mac has been selling really well with all the abysmal weather we've had in fact I've sold more umbrellas and Macs then I should have sold water pistols it's also his job to find the best bargains to entice Shoppers through the doors when the guy sent me the products I always had to like sort of keep quiet because I was like like I saw that for 99p that's too big but uh he goes yeah I can do you as a 99p line it's not cheap we're not making much on it but it's one of those wow lines that we have to have in the store we've always got to have a couple of these crazy offers because that's the nature of the game and that's why people call this an Aladdin's cave you never know where you're going to find when you get in [Music] Hussein is driving his firm's rapid expansion in February the Battleground is Ducky High Street in the Midlands where Hussein's new store is opening directly opposite a pound and Shop everything's 99 feet of course so it's cheaper than Poland pound land over the road won't be very pleased about this store opening announceables because they're all people that will we've done what is known in the Traders outpitched them so we have a bigger store didn't expect so much salt variety and stuff in a better location I feel sorry for those across the road I hope to do better trade than them let's see the opposition is not ready to go down without a fight they reduce everything to just 95 feet undercutting Hussein by four Pence per item so I guess maybe they're a poundland anymore but they're 95p land Hotel chain is pound world the family business is based in Yorkshire and its MD is 62 year old Chris Edwards I signed the checks so I can query it before we've spent the money so if I don't agree with it instead of having to chase some money and get it back I'd rather just stop it going out in the first place and I feel that I sleep at night if that's the kiss squaring up to the big boy a competition is staring regional manager Craig in the face we're gonna have to be on top of his game today we need to be on the ball making sure that would be in every way 121 ready for battle let's go for it morning everybody the staff have only had a week to get 100 000 items on the shelves pound shops have cheap prices because much of their stock is imported from China although they also sell clearance items and branded Goods Chris has a reputation for being a perfectionist about store presentation [Music] yeah it's fantastic this is what we wanted to see [Music] everything is in place for the grand opening but there are no customers normally we build a substantial queue outside but today with it being dampened it's just one step bit out the I Street we might have to build this one up a little bit but it'd be interesting to see if all turns up time to bring out the cavalry is here sorry oh sorry he's after your juries all right [Music] it's got a nice reaction I've noticed over in town land but I like to mention about poundland all the staff are peeking out the window seeing what's happening over here this time poundland doesn't retaliate to Chris's opening by lowering their prices perhaps because they've heard how he's out maneuver but is rivals in the past one of our competitors decided to pick out his best 12 items and do a 50p half price so they run and told me this is what they're doing so I just said well I'll tell you what why don't you go buy what they've got so we bought all the stuff Chris then sold the stock in his store for one pound per product double what he paid for it they've never fell for that one again but we enjoyed why we're doing it so I thought it was a bit of fun the fight for Discount Shoppers in Middlesbrough is tough it's full of canny customers who know you need to shop around to bag the best bargains regional manager Craig is still hoping to win the pound shot Wars here it is a growing market and it is an environment for people to come to now hello thank you we'll call again it's a liberty bread shop well packed to this level they've got a lot of things that the other pound shops haven't got yeah so that's a good thing it's a staff are very helpful lovely who really enjoyed it yes yes fantastic thank you very much bye not much money left bye I'm glad to clean your teeth Chris may be the boss of one of the biggest retail outlets in the country but there's still one person he's answerable too he's 85 year old mum Alice one of flower do you want anything uh yeah some grapes Alice Pops in every day to keep an eye on her son at his Wakefield office I'm worried when I can see him being stressed that's why I come down every day because it's all right I'm saying to you oh yes I'm fine mum but if you look in the face you know whether they're finally whether they're not don't you I'll just do what I usually do okay okay Chris's father died of a massive heart attack 15 years ago and now Alice worries about her son's Health oh this is still a lot of cholesterol you can only have a certain amount you must have it very thin we don't want him to die in a heart attack I make sure he only has whole meal bread yes you would look after me she uh she treats me like a child I mean you can't help but be proud when you go outside and you see all the lorries and I mean that's what one thing the father would have been proud at when he seen poundland driving out you know ham world [Music] will you knock that off that won't be on will it Christopher will shoot me [Music] sometimes yeah it's like eating sawdust foreign believes the key to running a successful pound shop is enticing first-time customers he has a secret weapon he unleashes at every new store opening his PR Guru Korean he comes out with some sort of pretty wacky ideas sometimes Graham's workiest idea to date is the 99 second trolley Dash which happens at each new shop opening he's a wonderful lady in Southampton whose record has stood for three years 265 items [Music] she'd been on Deal or No Deal and won 25 000 she hadn't told us that before she entered the competition so we we weren't prepared for her competitive Spirits Sally Cooper's record-breaking Dash wrecked the pristine store in under two minutes after that we introduced a few rules which was single items only no scooping and you start and finish at the tail it might take a long time before that record smashed Lane's latest shop helped me this year old Amy 89 second Dash the best tip you can get pick the most expensive three two good luck [Music] do we follow her Charlie dash around and put everything back on the shelves because we've got to open in like less than 10 minutes so we've got to have a shop looking ship shape but with only 101 items in her trolley she didn't break the record [Applause] s next Market employees the great 99p giveaway you have won an iPad two cover but Hussein's Entertainer also attracts the attention of the council there's no struck in the highway we're obstructing nothing stands on the pyramid it was just for the one morning for that opening morning so we're not allowed to have fun and enjoy with our customers Leadership Council Party Poopers in the law yeah so support new business I know I'm not saying it's your fault hey I'm not saying it's your fault yeah the Party Poopers we're having a party you've pooped here I've got 25 people working here 25 new jobs we're creating yeah and sales creates jobs anyway I guess fun sorry for guys sorry Hussein eventually agrees to remove his stage for now the party's over but he's not the only one having a bad day look I've got the mixed match of the different pulses Chris is making a surprise visit to his Manchester Arndale store with his area manager David escort Wiki takings are down and Chris wants to know why a bit Shaker I didn't know he was coming today it was such a surprise so it was a quick tide of all-round Metro if it was okay the manager of this shop Debbie has been in the position for just four weeks can you put that dump in as well back over that corner for me please that's not acceptable people putting things all over the place they aren't good enough so they're gonna throw up the game or else simple as that should be perfect and anything less than perfect we think is just not acceptable and we've got a section where we've got bike but above it we've got postal saying hair and fashion I'd miss that one thank you for that David I knew he was going to get some sleep now I'm going to have nightmares about this shop it doesn't make you very angry and it makes you very mad but losing your temperature doesn't always get away in on the way in the old days I'm used to using an F button or maybe but not any but try to discuss the way into it so yeah I think yeah I'm annoyed can it be corrected yeah within four or five days we can put this together listen if we've traumatized you I'm sorry but what I just need it to do is get it where it needs to be I know you will you know even when you're sat in this store so none of the things we pulled out is your fault yeah but I'd appreciate if you I'll try and get the right people to advise you and I'm sure by the next week and it'll be back to normal perfect it's the first time we've ever met him to drive everybody's crackers when I know but I'll go off on one but I can't help it because I just I just can't stand it it just gives me nothing [Music] back in Deptford Hussein is facing more opposition the market here has been established for centuries and some Market Traders are worried the new store will reduce their business the people coming and shopping in Deptford they come here to save money so the cheaper they can get it obviously they're going to go to a cheaper shop body Market still it's been down there for a lot of years now we be shopping in there oh yeah yeah I like save a Tanner as well yeah Market Trader Sandra has been selling cards in Deptford for 10 years she's sending a friend Jennifer on a secret mission to find out if the new shop will really threaten her trade but Sandra's spy quickly goes native I do love a pan shop love about shop it's not all unknown makes it's good makes like the pledges I just brought my daughter one of them 4.99 pink 4.99 I'll pay for it 99p not on really is it when I can sell him for 99p [Music] Jennifer eventually remembers her corporate spying mission [Music] it's hard it's you know it's hard Sandra's cards are a really word day make lovely meaning words where they're just sort of like basic okay look just happy birthday in it you know what we probably would steal a bit of business from her but that's only in the most basic cards we certainly don't cater to every single special occasion there is out there we are limited to our price points and you know a smart retailer who's next to us would adapt and change and sort of change their offering focus more on the specialist cards so what's the verdict of the spy who loves a bargain I didn't say though but that's what I mean it's not it's not wording cards they're quite big yeah very pretty but they're not meaning cards will it affect us so I'm not happy about it then we are really struggling down here at the moment Mr 99p is back on his stage against the council's wishes but under strict orders from the company's chief executive officer now to call from the CEO who heard about the troubles we're having and uh he was very strong and very adamant he goes keep that stage up he goes let them do what they want he goes I've opened the shop on their High Street I've created the jobs so let's keep it just explain who the CEO is CEO is of course my dad that knows best everybody in Deptford has got things outside you know and they won't let us do it Hussein's dad nadir came over from Tanzania in the 1970s without a penny to his name and opened one of London's first ever late night convenience shops in muswell Hill he was a Pioneer in that he was like well I can trade at 11 o'clock if I want I can trade till midnight if I want so that's what my dad did I think retail's always been in our blood as a family a lot of my earliest memories are sort of running around the store like stealing sweets over the next three decades Nadia built up and sold two convenience store chains in 2001 with the help of his two sons Faisal and Hussein he opened his first 99p shop the Leilani family believed the key to their success is the store's catchy name the name it has a ring 99 feet all the other shops are the pound shop this pound shop that they'll they lose their name but nobody sort of Misses 99p but the clever name has cost them millions makes a lot of difference to us this year a penny is going to cost us 4 million quid [Laughter] who knows trading is also increases blood his parents opened their first Market store in the Yorkshire town of Wakefield in the mid 50s selling discount Goods to the public I started full-time and left school at 14. and I worked on the market so it was in May early 30s [Music] the Edwards Empire began what did you sell at your Market same as we sell Now The Umbrellas yeah this is where the market store used to be every Market does seemed to be raining or snowy or blowing was it ever Sunny it got to a point sometimes it should be that cold you can hardly pick him money to give change he used to be like cold you know what I mean but he used to do it because you got used to it yourself skin like liver the market would you come and see me and would you come and help me even though the weather was bad yeah would you yeah even though it was raining and snowing yes that's a good deal I'm sure you would when people say to me on a regular basis how do you keep doing this day in Day Out said after being on the market it's a day off coming in it's not a day's work to me just sat here I mean a lot of holidays work is back out in the upper Market that's where it really is [Music] by Easter there's no letter as the two family firms continue to open new shops now they are moving right into each other's territory it's become a fight between North and South we're Northern based and we're creeping as we're down the country one of our competitors is a southern person creeping up the country whether they you know open a store next to me in in a southern town or a Northern Town either way it means that you know the guards are up and we've got to fight back as his expansion has been boosted by the collapse of a massive High Street chain we bought from the receiver 29 I've been getting those open and I think in the last we've been averaging for a week for the last five weeks so we're up in an incredible rate or not at the moment in April Chris opened seven pound wheel shops in London in just five weeks truly invading Hussein's territory the south of England is a good place and there's plenty of opportunities so uh you know that did give us a certain buzzing here so because we'd never been down there before foreign is determined to counter the attack on his patch by striking at Chris's Heartland Salford you are Guru Graham is raising the game by organizing a relay trolley Dash to raise money for charity so we have a challenge we have a relay Dash four but with a Twist because it's really five one of the relay winners is pregnant I'm seven and a half months pregnant and everything's going really well fitting healthy so we should be running around the store no problem so we're very excited but Graham's latest PR stunt could damage more than just the shelving display the floor has just been mopped so it's a health and safety risk especially for heavily pregnant Soul we're doing a trolley Dash in 25 minutes it's absolutely vital though it's very dry it's quarter past nine the dash is not for 25 minutes it will be drier than the Sahara I can't say dry than a British summer because not this Summer that will be drier than the Sahara I think it's worth putting some towels down because we've only got 20 minutes to go and it is over the shopping City this is the grand opening of the brand new 99 pistol 10 a.m this morning just checking on the floor to make sure it's bone dry yeah that's so they're still still mopping up so make sure it's we do anyone skidding around with the uh with the trolley last one it is getting dry about a second but we're gonna start here yeah okay well best of luck heavily pregnant style limbers up while PR Guru Graham worries about the floor oh do you mind second look at their time to start now [Music] crisis averted there will be no 99p Bay people today congratulations what's up what's up this attack is going to hurt Chris twice as much as the new store is only yards away from one of his first shops we finally invaded the North we properly encroached on their territory our armies armed and ready and now we're also adjusted into the top spot 99p it's unbelievable isn't it Salford has always been a very strong retail area Brian and Millicent our pensioners living on a budget very very cheap really cheap oh it is it is I'll be coming here quite a lot well I came and bought a travel around got more spam than anything else I think the value Genie is out of the bottle there's no putting it back in here but it's not just pensioners who are finding the new shop handy Nicola is getting married to a long-term partner tomorrow she's with her auntie Janis getting last minute treats for the big day can't argue with them can you no I spoke to the groom before and then I'm in an hour in bed now now I didn't know where to get their trainers I could have got my pair of them every aisle was surprised that's pretty that yeah because that'll be ideal for tomorrow just support middle is changing we've got a bag and a person for two quid yeah that's amazing fortunate you know proof that the big day doesn't have to mean big bills [Music] so in Wakefield Chris needs to run a tight ship if he wants to overtake Hussein in the pound shot Wars margins are slim and every penny counts but in his Warehouse profits are being eaten away that one has been being drunk when you've got food and drink I think it's something that does happen preferably not to be happening if we lose one item then we probably lose the profit on a pack of 12. William Cochran AKA boss is the warehouse's assistant manager he's the first to know if Chris has a problem he does like to sneak around and try and catch them so he can shout at me make me cry Mr Boss up and down the aisles there's a lot of debris that's annoying I just wish we could have somewhere with the hungry they can go get a bag of chocolate from somewhere and given it it's when they're splitting karma is up it's catch them and kill them right then just need somebody to have a close look yours goes on the prowl to see if he can apprehend anyone red-handed he'll get more annoyed than me because well it's his isn't it it's like if someone was in my house helping himself to my things I wouldn't be very impressed I can understand why he gets wound up I sat today it's not long ago because I caught him eating a bag of crisps and that bucket of cliffs comes out of a multi-pack of six it's almost like 15 Pence unless you jump for 15 pounds he might clip you but he won't kill you by May pound world is closing the Gap with 161 stores Hussein is continuing to Surge North opening is 163rd store in Chester one of the wealthiest cities in the northwest but he's worried residents here may consider themselves too Posh to pound shop often we do get opposition at new store openings like we had uh hayward's Heath earlier this year some people you know were worried that house prices would go down in that area because of my my stall uh which I couldn't believe this you know you'd even think that so you've seen the Daily Mail that they're going to chain themselves to the railings the amazing thing was at the store there was railings inside the store so that may there must have been semi you must have planned it or looked and said okay there's railings let's chain ourselves but up to dates there were no police or security reports of anyone chaining themselves to railings opposite our store so Guru Graham is trying to come up with ideas to tempt the more affluent Shopper yeah so in terms of upmarket middle class we've got the tea we've got the uh Posh uh Fizzy Pop okay this is a good one for Christmas in order we put in for luxury mince Meats with dark chocolate you always get a few snoozy people let's call them who just think that you know their town is too good for one of our stores but the fact is every town in the country is having a discount store Hussain is hoping his middle class range of goods will sell well in his new Chester shop I thought they'd do well and well in an area like Chester if they're in a really high class spot they are going to lower the tone I wouldn't be very pleased if I had a really high class shop and I had one next door to me it is one necessary evil to have on the high streets now just the same as you have um charity shops maybe up the side streets out the way [Music] can you attract Posh people into pound shops well he waits to find out Hussein grabs a few essentials all right see soothing soothing and calming chamomile tea for my fiance now wedding preparations is going to go down really well to worry about when we're talking about printing the invites I said look we use a printing company it was all this stuff in the stories it was obviously printed by one company I said look we give them a lot of business I'm sure he'll be able to do some good deals she was absolutely nauseous I'm not having blue and yellow invites on your tacky 99 paper I was like why not so at least the gifts you know you have to give that a little gift at the end of the wedding I said we can Source those uh to our connections no it must be love if you're willing to spend yeah Chester's middle classes make up their newest shot it's about time there were some cheap places where you can go because everywhere else is so expensive people associate them with and part of the country I think people who've got more money or whatever they tend to use them so people it's like a stigma isn't it some people are sort of more reluctant for Change and maybe they've got used to their High Street being in a particular way what I'd say to them is would you rather have empty shops or would you rather have trading shops some really good Bargains I used to think that pound stores were perhaps full of rubbish and but to my surprise they're not it's all about saving money and if I've got more money then I can sort of put it towards a holiday for my children pay for private education so the way to send your kids to private school was to go to pound stores um yeah it just saved a lot of money definitely I guess to have an 89 piece store in Knightsbridge would be quite good keep going sky's the limit [Music] drawing new customers becomes even more crucial we do try and keep a brush with the fashion even in the pound business and to stay encounters with something for the weekend they say well how can you sell 18 condoms for 99p surely there's got to be something wrong with them or it's just not possible you know I wouldn't allow a product to go on my shelf if I knew it wasn't good enough for my customers everything a fully tested they comply with all the regulations it's the last thing I want is um a couple of hundred thousand paternity suits because my condoms didn't do the job they were meant to but anything does go wrong with Hussein's condoms there's a useful item on sale in Chris's store yeah we've had a few people you know because they're only a pound you know question the fact will they tell me exactly what a ten pound would you know from another retailer but the answer to that is yes in the fight for High Street domination China is the pound Shop's greatest Ally supplying them with the low price stock they need to make a profit [Music] Chris is at the China Import and Export fair in Guangzhou to hunt out the best bargains available for his growing chain of shops I don't think our business would be any where near successful if it wasn't for China where I first started is to go to Manchester to buy stock from different oil service and it does feel that you've worked hard and you've come a long way he's with carlu who runs his Hong Kong office nearly 50 billion pounds worth of business is generated here each year from over 400 000 overseas buyers you can buy anything from grandfather clocks can you get me this for a pound retail topic face travel pillows Chris is just as bargain hungry as any of his customers back home with just one question on his lips [Music] how much is this which is this this after coming in 15 years I haven't learned any Chinese whatsoever so you don't know Hello Goodbye nice to see you don't even know in Chinese to say how much is this how much is this one very busy yeah shop around try to buy each item for less than 30p so we can sell them for a pound and still make a profit hi can I have you yeah good yeah how much everything we buy is in US dollars so we have a Target price of 40 cents because if a dollar is again shoot at the freight rats against you you can never put your price up because you are a pound that's what it is we do pay as much as 80 Pence sometimes to give maximum volume how much is this one 45 cents okay the more stores Chris opens the bigger orders you can place and the better price per item he can negotiate then tell me which kind of quantity you roughly ideally have five six container the quantity yeah yeah good enough to get a better price yeah so we can make something like a five to ten percent discounted for this kind of huge quantity yeah okay Chris's merchandise is put in pallets and taken to the vast Container Terminal in Sean John 15 years ago his company imported 10 containers a year and now it's 2000. we're coming in as many as 10 a day sometimes as well as the UK deliveries you know it's amazing Chris repackages the cheap Goods he buys in China to create lots of different own brand ranges these are reading glasses when you can see now they've been delivered with the the right satisfactory artwork on it do they work yeah the cost of work in fact I'll wear some of them myself when the writing's too small on the documents I'm supposed to be reading Chris you must be a millionaire sure you can afford some proper glasses I have got a proper pair but I actually put the draw my eyes a little bit so I use ours you know don't send a power 150 pencil though ties like Chris's have to fight a Deadly Assassin inflation this just typifies as inflation takes all how you've got to do it I mean going back 10 years ago I think this was probably a 40 or a 50 pack and we were still selling it for a pound and it's been reduced over the years to to keep Pace with inflation so you're reducing the size of your item we've got to reduce it to maintain the price point like other pound shop chains Chris doesn't put his company's name on his own Brands perhaps because he doesn't think it's alluring enough I've never heard of vivac well all the stocking areas are in House Brands we we get a range of stop and we uniform all together and then we utilize all the artwork and then bring it into a range let these gents Etc to give the customer confidence to buy the item in in the first place but Chris I look at that and I think that's the same color as a very well-known brand isn't it it's not intended to trick I think what we're trying to deliver is is a better value item and make it attractive to buy people are not stupid and if you try to deceive him the soon catch you out and you wouldn't you wouldn't get their confidence Chris when I go in your shop I think it's too good to be true like a magic trick you think we're creating an illusion yes that's not the case at all because it would have to be very clever to be able to create an illusion to get people to part with their add-on money if they didn't think it was valid for money and they wouldn't keep coming as repeat customers again if they didn't think the satisfaction with the item do you use these razors I do actually lose yeah I do use I use that one do you read it I do use that disposal razor yes just checking you for any Cuts yeah no cuts at all Hussein is on his way to pay a surprise visit to one of his stores you want to catch the store in a way there's no point sort of popping in letting them know you're coming because then obviously they'll they'll work extra hard because they know the bus is coming it's a bit sneaky it's not a sneaky it's business the business has to be an emotional if you get emotional about business then it's difficult to make logical decisions most business decisions are logical so start getting emotional about it then it clouds your judgment but our pound shops trying to Cloud the Judgment of their customers they sell big Brands but they're often smaller sizes those rates come in three different pack sizes there's the small pack size that we sell for 99p they also have a lot bigger one which is like their family pack and they also have an even bigger one which is a jumbo pack being a 99 piece store we can only sell the smaller pack [Music] this Weetabix here and the crunching up is smaller than normal well I guess it depends what do you call normal what is a normal size cereal box a lot of my customers are you know working on a tight budget on a weekly budget you know obviously if you go into a supermarket and buy a 10 kilo box of washing powder you're going to get a better deal per wash but you know a lot of most of my customers come in on foot so they simply can't carry 10 kilos of washing powder home it's easier for them to buy a smaller box which will last them for a week or two Hussein asks to meet the store manager one thing why haven't you got a name badge oh you fell out I can't find it around the shop or somewhere oh it fell out okay fine you're off the hook he wants to find out how his 99p book sales are doing it I don't think the celebrities will be too happy customers enjoy it yeah and they're still high profile celebrities really yeah you know you've got Leona Lewis hello we even got strictly uh Come Dancing exactly okay so it's last year's one but no I think exactly up in Wakefield Chris's mum Alice and his granddaughter Olivia are also keeping the troops in check I do go in the shops I go and just look around and if I see anything that I don't think's right I come back and tell Christopher yes thank you uh she comes in quite regularly probably every week I love them and she always takes the time to go and talk to the staff have you been busy very busy today oh that's good and she's normally in for a good half an hour at least you can't just comment s take things out the shelters we'd have no profit would we always pay don't we don't it we do yeah we do yeah thanks love thank you glad you're okay that one come on but I'll over see you later bye [Music] bye July Chris has opened 166 stores but Hussein is determined to remain the second biggest power store chain no matter what personal sacrifices he has to make it's a hard life but when you run your own business you you have to work hard you're always the first sin in the last out Hussein works such long hours he can't commute between Northampton and his home in London so he regularly stays overnight in a hotel this is my home on weeknights um it's actually not that bad it does get a bit lonely you know you get used to it yeah can I order some room service please I'd like to have what is the soup of the day I always have soup of the day and a pint of soda water I normally chicken for main course and a large glass of wine great so I'll have your stuffed chicken then please and can I also get a large glass of Shiraz and eight pints of soda water no ice hello come in yeah yeah sure if you just leave it by the TV please yay dinner would like yeah it means not the emails come through I guess if you ask any entrepreneur any person who runs their own business you never really switch off even if the Blackberry is Switched Off your head's not Switched Off I think my family together we've all made a lot of sacrifices but we enjoy what we do and I think it's in our blood you know my family's have been Traders for the last 150 years from India to Africa to the UK this is what we do unlike Hussein Chris can find moments where he can stop thinking about his pawn shop Empire it's when he's doing his other job as a nightclub boss as we were amazed when he went and said he bought Club we've never done anything about it before in our lives I think he just saw an opening and he just thought he tried something else but it's no ordinary Nightclub Las Vegas Cooks a favorite with hen parties due to its flamboyant Floor Show featuring drag artists and show Girls [Applause] mind your head the last thing we mind is powerful when I go into one of the clubs and when I go in there I just concentrate on that particular business on that particular day but just like when he's visiting his pound shops Chris's attention to detail keeps his staff on their toes and we give our all all the time anyway but when Chris is in we do like to normally give a little bit extra just to make sure that he's proud of us all yeah definitely I don't think I'll retire from neither the uh like those other shops as part of his assault on the North Hussein has opened a shop in Burnley Chris is planning a counter-attack in August an empty peacock has come up for grabs right next door to the 99p stores and Chris snaps it up okay guys all to the back of the store please we're going to start on the next pallets the battle for Burnley begins led by store manager Jeff heathcote I'm looking at it as you are I'm the commander of the army and it took to me to direct recruit and I'm a type of person and the deputy managers as well who would attack that lead from the front they don't leave from the office we'll lead on the shop floor Ian Gilbert was hand-picked by Jeff to be his second in command I've been doing this baby for 30 years up until two weeks ago I've done five years in my previous company got bought out and it just wasn't the right environment for me and Jeff said you want to come on board and I said I jumped with both hands you I love it it's at the SAS area we believe in standards availability service at his Northampton HQ Hussein has been told Burnley is under attack it does feel a little bit too close for comfort but as the saying goes keep your friends close and your enemy's closer the shelves are filled now the new staff all from Burnley need to be trained Denise has been a customer services trainer for six months I always said to my staff at home that we're the Harrods of the pound shop to catch the new staff up to speed with some role play what we're going to do now is a bit of tilt training on the standards that pound World expects when you serve a customer give plenty of eye contact to the customer and just say how are you today madam the most important person in the store is the customer they must be treated like realtor can I interest you know Excel lines today there's five packets for a pound no thank you I don't like moving yeah [Music] in packs of three for a pound even the customers could not believe that they were abound the amount of staff that gets stuck so how much is this you will hear that day in day out because people generally do not believe that the stuff we sell and the lines we sell is about Ian and Jeff are convinced they have what it takes to crush the competition next door this cake is so big and it can only be cut into so many challenges yes we need the biggest slice yes and it's up to me and you and the rest of the team to make sure we do get outside definitely I'd like the full cake yes ingredient I'm sure but you know I mean let's not be too greedy let's let's have a bigger piece each time in each week I'm no doubt whatsoever that we will achieve that Big Slice yes I totally agree not only that we'll also have the icing on top of the cake and the little Cherry as well thank you very much cheers thank you thank you it's ready to open please the people of Burnley then that's right okay good morning [Music] how are you doing all right my friends good good good good Ian is doing what he loves most serving the customers you okay they're sweets good Goods in a nutshell I'm a grafted with laughter I'm just happy girl lucky and I love the environment and it's Hands-On how are we doing all right good good good you're right there ladies gents okay I act fast I think faster talk fast and work faster that's what it's all about and if people want me Here There and Everywhere then I'm quite willing to be in that position we'll clean the Tidy down there Jen yeah does he never stop enjoy your shopping experience all right see you later gorgeous bye-bye [Music] at his Northampton HQ Hussein is getting ready to spar with two Manchester salesmen Josh and Jeremy who specialize in trading cheap clearance stock I call him by coffee Bank Traders because they come out with this huge bag and you never know what's going to come out of it so it could be anything from electrical equipment to soft toys or pencil cases you just never know the increasing number of struggling retailers means is an abundance of attractive clearance lines which The Lads can snap up at rock bottom prices Hussein believes these bargain products give him the edge in the fight for customers although clearance may only form 15 to 20 percent of our product mix often it's what people talk about the most those great hot deals that you know we managed to get our hands on which is what gets people really excited and really gets the customers coming back week after week you know to see oh can I get another crazy bargain like that it's incredible to think that they're actually 99 Pence you're not losing anything it's 33 quiet I'm gonna do it okay nice to see you good to see you I do Mr alignment should we look at what you got yeah okay um we call this a conflict case it's actually a clearance item which we bought from another retailer they are currently line at 10 pounds plus and we really need um 55p for them when you're negotiating you never really want the other side to to know what you're thinking you know if you see a product and you think it's great you don't necessarily want them to know how great you think it is so you've got to sort of have a poker face about you this character is out of date okay Bakugan was hot probably about 18 months ago two years ago okay however if it's still a nice little bag you know for a kid to keep his his PSP Nails nicely packed so I'll tell you what I'll do a deal I'll take all 18K okay and I'll give you 48p and the lads we're hoping for so 48p is not gonna work if we could get to obviously it's one delivery which helps but and I'm not asking you to repackage there's no work at all on it Hindu Hussein and unfortunately that's it 53p it's only what 52 and we'll do it okay done done cool okay another one bites the dust to win the war Hussein tries to save as much as he can on every deal so he has more money to invest in new shops good to see you as always Richard and we'll see you in the next few weeks yeah thank you very much cheers meanwhile the battle for Burnley continues it's now two months since Chris opened his store right next to Hussein's assistant manager Ian is doing everything he can to make sure his shop has the edge do you have a drink energy drink no not me no no just a cup of coffee with three sugars that's what keeps me going quick Mars Bar a day you seem to have a lot of energy there yeah darling you have time for indigestion me mate I tell you if I'm used to gonna put five in the morning and my skills pay the bills right is this all put to bed now this one is it just these uh pill boxes to go out is that it then yeah store manager Jeff is also working long hours to be the best in Burnley I put anything in from 12 to 13 hours each day but even no I don't have to do that I actually do it because I like to do it I want to do the job I want this shop to be successful do you think you're doing better than that I'd like to think I've got a bigger slice of the cake but I'll never know because I don't know their figures the hunches and I'm gonna say I'm winning when a competitor opens up next to us we will see a bit of an impact on the sales and for the first couple of weeks we'll see sales drop and then after a couple of months it does settle down and the customers come back sometimes I think the customers probably win out at the end of the day because they get to pick the best from both stores foreign [Music] ette and Norma regularly use both shops would you buy them here no I never dreamed of it they can't try them on here can you can't get into that one but let them look all that don't they what do you think of the prices well they're great aren't they Everything 100 pounds you can't complain about that can you in this day and age except you haven't got what I want [Music] time to visit pound world the newest Bargain shop on the Burnley block yeah this isn't it better ambulance yes you feel more welcoming yeah Norma looking for lipstick lipstick do you sell it yes we do modern yes plenty of them on here I don't know what colors you like ladies but obviously I'm the wrong person to be asking well yeah well I suppose in today's society anything goes really nowadays does it is that this what's the name of that one sweetheart that one's classic yes the same as this one yeah oh yeah I'll have that one yeah yeah can you okay there we know yeah thank you very much battle for burnley's bargain hunters is particularly intense because the two rival shops are right next door to each other so which Jane has won the lady's hearts that one's better yeah yeah everything's better yeah but it's better finish as soon as you walk in it feels Pleasant and welcoming I know they're nice so who do you think will do best in Burnley oh that one which one 99. simply because it says 99 and lots of pound that's what lots of people see first isn't it I'll take pen world will be better really yeah it's a split decision but one Undisputed fact is that American chain poundland is still the biggest after opening 41 new shops so far this year they now have 415 stores but who is in second place I don't like to Glow so I don't like to be arrogant but yeah so I guess we sort of pip them to the post after opening 24 stores Hussein's family firm has retained their title as the second largest chain with 178 shops we may have won this battle but the war is yet to be won Chris is still in third place with 175 pound stores but in less than a year his expansion has been huge we've opened more stores and then by the sound of it Chris has opened 43 new pound shops this year more than either of his Rivals we'll just keep on in the Stars while the opportunities there whether that leaves us to 300 400 or even 5 600. two family first the pound she's gonna be many more years of friendly rivalries we try to out-compete each other and outdo each other with a number of stores [Music] neither business will stop until they rule the High Street they keep an eye on us we keep an eye on them and is a very very competitive well it's just survival of the fittest in every High Street in the country has a 99 piece or I guess that's when we can stop [Music] thank you [Music]

Channel: A True Story

Views: 7,589

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Id: sNgQ8bQ658w

Length: 59min 5sec (3545 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 22 2024