Retail giant to open two new stores in Derry

Discount chain store Poundstretcher is set to open two new stores in the city, the Derry News can reveal today.

One of the stores will be located at the building in Bishop Street which previously housed a Poundstretcher store but which was destroyed by a fire in July 2015.

The Bishop Street building will now be re-built.

The second new store will open at another site in Derry.

Poundstretcher have said that they cannot reveal the location of the second store at this time due to ‘reasons of confidentiality’.

However, a spokesperson for the company said they they hoped to open this store before Christmas.

The Poundstretcher spokesperson added that it has been involved in negotiations since the July 2015 fire to move back into the premises.

It took 50 firefighters to tackle the blaze which completely destroyed the premises.

Fifteen staff had worked at the building, all of whom were re-deployed to other locations.

In August 2015, Poundstretcher said that it was remained committed to Derry in the long-term, and would take re-occupy the Bishop Street building once the site was rebuilt.

In a statement issued to the Derry News on Friday, a company spokesperson said that Poundstretcher was ‘delighted’ that it would be trading again in the city.

“Since fire destroyed our premises in July 2015 we have been negotiating terms to occupy premises to be re-built on the site,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re pleased to say that terms for this have now been agreed.

“Of course completion of this project will take some time, but we’re delighted to say that we have now also secured a second site in the city.

 “Although for reasons of confidentiality we can’t reveal the location of this second site just yet, we should be able to do so shortly and would hope to see this store open for trade well ahead of Christmas.”

The spokesperson added: “We are delighted that in the not too distant future we shall again be able to start trading in the city.”