Undercover Boss

Martyn Birks, Poundworld (3x6)

Air date: Aug 09, 2011

Martyn Birks, the director of Poundworld, goes undercover to discover why some of the budget chain's stores are failing to perform as well as expected, and why employee turnover is high. On paper the family run Poundworld is an outright success story. The company started life in 1974 from a Wakefield market stall and has since expanded to have branches nationwide. But the credit crunch has been a double-edged sword for Poundworld - the company has expanded to meet the demands of cash-strapped Brits, but without being able to raise their prices (above a pound) the profit margins are constantly being squeezed. Director Martyn Birks knows the company is having problems and that expansion has come at a price. With reports of unsettled and unhappy staff, who are working far beyond what they are paid to do, some stores are failing to perform as well as they have been, while employee turnover is high. Can Martyn find out what it will take to get Poundworld back on track?