Former Poundland MD to return as Pepco reviews business

Barry Williams, the former managing director of Poundland, is understood to have returned to the board of the struggling budget retail chain as its parent company, Pepco Group, reviews the business.

According to a report by The Grocer, Williams is believed to have taken up a supervisory role on an interim basis to run a “comprehensive assessment” of Poundland and its sister retailer Dealz in the UK and Ireland.

His appointment comes as Stephan Borchert, chief executive officer of Pepco Group, and chief financial officer Neil Galloway step down from the board of Poundland, as revealed in filings with the UK’s Companies House.

Williams had served as MD to Poundland between 2017 and 2023, later taking on the role of MD for the Pepco retail chain, active across Europe.

Pepco has not commented on his alleged reappointment, nor the board changes. In a statement to The Grocer, a spokesperson for the company said: “As stated at Pepco Group’s quarter one results on 16 January, we are committed to getting Poundland back on track and will provide an update at our Capital Markets Day in early March.”

Speculation of Williams’ role shift follows a report by Sky News that Pepco has formally engaged consultants at AlixPartners to explore “radical options” for Poundland as it seeks a major turnaround.

Evidence of the retailer’s struggles continued throughout the third quarter of last year, with like-for-like sales dropping 7.3 percent over the period, largely due to continued underperformance in clothing and general merchandise.