How Poundstretcher can learn a thing or two from its acquired UGO stores

Graham Soult

Retail consultant, writer, blogger; helping retailers via CannyInsights.com and CannySites.com. Say hello on Twitter at @soult!

You may also like...

8 Responses

  1. It is a shame that such a strong retail brand image is lost. You have consistently supported the in-store theatre within UGO and on message promotions, sadly the offer rarely matched the quality of the graphics. I am aware of a stunning Academy Store that was put together for the Poundstretchers board back in 2009. Clearly they did not share that vision as little appears to have changed at store level. Keep up the great work, I follow your retail intelligence with interest.

  2. Retrogadget says:

    I never did manage a visit to the UGO store in Nuneaton, even though it’s less than 20 miles from me. Indeed, until last week when I drove by the shuttered UGO store my last shopping trip to Nuneaton was just as Netto was closing. As reported earlier I have visited the UGO stores in Eston and Stanley.

  3. Graham Soult says:

    I haven’t actually been to Tees Bay, Jonny, but on Google Street View it looks very much as you describe! :)

  4. Jonny says:

    Tees Bay Retail Park… the place looked decrepit and forlorn the last time I visited (oh, probably a mere 10 or so years ago). I trust it’s still going for that abandoned greenhouse feel?

    Poundstretcher/£-Stretcher/£-Pound Stretcher must have the most inconsistent branding of any major national chain. It’s as woefully inadequate as that sad advertising board suggests, easily outclassed by Wilkinson and Discount UK at the top end of the “discounters” but also, worryingly, by the likes of Poundland and Home Bargains too.

    Your photos suggest each site has its own take on the tacky orange-red fascia, with no real success. Instore as a name didn’t work but at least its branding was cohesive and respectable. With 18 new stores about to be added, now is as good a time as any to get somebody who knows what they’re doing in and trial something new.

    The Newcastle store really is an unpleasant place to be, a gloomy maze of dead ends and disorganisation. Not sure how it can hope to compete with Discount UK literally over the road.

  5. michael lockie says:

    There is talk that TESCO is planning to acquire empty stores on clifford road in stanley to build a large store on former land occupied by 2 supermarkets and 2 furniture stores dont know for sure if its true but the derwentside planners will know.

  6. michael lockie says:

    On the 16th of february the stanley ugo was still shut.I cant see poundstretcher keeping
    both stores open, the ugo store is bigger than poundsretcher but not on the front street which is more convenient and close to the bus station for discount shoppers It will be hard to recover the trade lost as a result of the ugo management one of the staff was told the stock had to be paid for in cash from nisa and as the shelves got empty the customers disappeared. at the moment the poundstetcher has only one isle of food.Iknow it might sound trivial but netto used to sell veg and flower seeds country value brand probably at a loss at 19p but stanley has a high proportion of allotments and gardens and many customers went in for them and as a result bought other goods.netto also put out offer leaflets in local free papers and in store to boost
    trade there is still a stigma attached in some peoples eyes to discount stores. regards mick.

  1. February 29, 2012

    […] discounter. While an initial 39 ex-Nettos were divided up between Morrisons, Iceland and the now-defunct UGO back in January last year, the Birtley store’s fate was only determined in June, when it was […]

  2. March 22, 2012

    […] the discount variety store chain, has reopened the UGO stores that it acquired last month – and has seemingly unveiled a new logo at the same […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.