Thirty new jobs are going to be created in Ramsgate.
A new branch of recession-busting chain the 99p Store will open in the old Woolworths in the town’s High Street.
The opening is scheduled for next Tuesday (July 7). Hussein Lalani, commercial director of 99p Stores says: "The public are flocking to our stores and when I say public I mean the just that in the widest sense.
"Gone are the days when there was a stigma to bargain brand. In a way we are the public what Woolworths failed to do for so many years and that is to give great value products.
"Woolworths started out as a six pence shop with everything at one price we are the 21st century version of this.”
A spokesman said massive queues are expected on opening day because similar openings in the UK have prompted a big response as bargain hunters stock up.
This is the brand's 91st outlet and recently they opened a store in Gillingham.
Mr Lalani said: "We feel proud to take over the mantle and consider ourselves custodians of the Woolworths brand. When it was set up it connected with the British public and we believe we are now doing this. More than 25 per cent of our customers are professionals - we are connecting to all sectors of society."
The store opens at 9am but the have requested a friendly police presence as they expect “many hundreds” of people to be queuing for early bargains from 6am - judged on similar openings.
Bargains for early shoppers include DVD players, Freeview boxes and 17-piece tea sets all for just 99p.
The new store will stock around 4,000 different 99p items extending from cosmetics to catering, gardening to gifts, food to fashion.
The famous pick ‘n’ mix, so beloved by Woolwrths customers, will also return.
The 99p Stores brand was founded in 2001 by entrepreneur Nadir Lalani.
He opened his first 99p Store in Holloway, North London, before a year later taking the calculated decision to expand throughout the UK.
Research shows that one million bargain hungry customers are now weekly 99p Stores shoppers.
By the end of next year 99p Stores expects to have more than 200 UK outlets.
This year the 99p brand has opened 20 former Woolworths sites and has plans to move into nearly 40 more Woolworths stores by the end of 2009.
The bargain busting brand is based in Daventry, Northants where it houses an aircraft-style hangar which is home to all its products.
The company employs more than 2,000 people.
For all the latest bargains visit www.99pstoresltd.com.
POSTED: 01/07/2009 13:45:00
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