Grantham shoppers are set for an early Christmas present- a new Poundland.

The retailer has announced one is to open in the St Augustin Retail Park on Saturday December 5.

The new 6662 sq ft store will employ 12 staff, plus 5 Christmas temps.

The existing Poundland in the Isaac Newton Centre will remain open.

The new outlet will feature Pep & Co clothing and frozen/chilled food.

The opening next month is part of a move by the retailer to open 10 new stores in time for Christmas and 45 across the UK and Ireland over the next 12 months.

The £15 million investment will create more than 280 jobs, including over 160 in the UK.

News of the new stores comes as a Channel 4 TV documentary, "Inside Poundland: Secrets from the Shop Floor", is due to air next month following Poundland's transformation plans including new stores, relocations, refits and extended ranges.

At a time when many retailers are in retreat, Poundland says it is is committed to opening more stores in town centres and retail parks and playing a vital role as an essential retailer to communities across the country.

The expansion is part of Poundland's transformation which has also seen it extend the range of products available so that customers can buy more of what they need under one roof.

All the new stores will have PEP&CO clothing and homeware and selected stores will also be part of the chilled and frozen food rollout, known internally as Project Diamond Ice, which will have

reached 119 stores by Christmas. Poundland managing director Barry Williams said: "Poundland is going through the biggest transformation in our history and as part of that we've got ambitious plans to open new stores across the country where we can be a vital part of the retail community. "We've broadened our ranges in groceries and household products and we've introduced PEP&CO clothing and homeware which means our customers can buy more of what they need

under one roof.

"We aim to bring amazing value to our customers every day and are proud to be playing our part in keeping our town centres and retail parks alive and making them places where people want to

shop." Like all Poundland stores, the new stores promise to operate to the highest standards of hygiene and safety, including barrier screens at checkouts and thorough cleaning regimes applied across the day. Customers are asked to observe official guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks.