Pennies and Poundland scoop Partnership for Good Award 2021

UK fintech charity partner Pennies is proud to have won Retail Systems’ Partnerships for Good Award 2021, with partner, Britain’s leading discount retailer Poundland.

The award, formerly known as Retail Charity Partnership of the Year, recognises a company that – working together with a charity – has delivered tangible impact in and for its communities through innovation.

Pennies and Poundland’s partnership uses payment technology – across a UK estate of over 800 stores – to offer customers the chance to donate 25 pence on top of purchases (on a basket size of £3 and above).

Testament to the generosity of Poundland’s customers, during adoption phase in the first national lockdown, consumers were opting-in to give at a rate of 43 per cent – a much greater average than most brands using Pennies.

The retailer also integrates Pennies across self-service kiosks as well as traditional in-store checkouts; the first of its kind for the fintech charity, and an option many customers appreciated at the height of the pandemic as it decreases interaction with colleagues and fellow consumers.

To date, Poundland’s customers have donated with Pennies over £200,000 – and growing. All donated funds support The Poundland Foundation, which in turn helps Poundland’s supported charity partners including Make-A-Wish® UK, Tommy’s, Whizz-Kidz, and Pennies.

Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO of Pennies said,

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by Retail Systems in this way, and we applaud Poundland for going over and above in their holistic approach to adopting micro-donations. For example, their use of in-store audio to play out regular messages from charity users expressing the impact of customers’ donations.

“Brilliantly, each week, Poundland consumers give enough to fund eight tablets for children to stay in touch with their friends while they’re in hospital; or for a Tommy’s PhD student conducting research seeking to prevent miscarriage, preterm birth or stillbirth – or even four adapted trikes to support young wheelchair users to keep active. The pennies really do add up to transform lives.”

Poundland Managing Director Barry Williams added of the win:

“More than ever, charities need our support. During coronavirus our colleagues and customers, helped by our suppliers, have gone above and beyond to support national and local charities. And our customers’ adoption of Pennies shows just how big-hearted people are and there could not have been a better time to roll out Pennies across all our stores.”

ENDS

For more information, contact Rob Dyson, Head of PR & Communications at Pennies, rob.dyson@pennies.org.uk.

About Pennies

Pennies is charity at the cutting edge of fintech, putting social purpose at the heart of business – working with some of the biggest UK brands in retail, hospitality and the paytech industry.

Pennies’ ‘digital charity box’ gives customers paying by card, digital wallet and emerging payment channels, a convenient way to add a small donation to their purchase when shopping with participating retailers. Whether in-store, online and in-app, it’s a simple, affordable, data-free way to donate, with 100% of funds raised going to charity.

Pennies has enabled almost 120 million micro-donations, raising millions of pounds in much-needed additional income for charities in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Together, payment providers, retailers and their customers are helping hundreds of charities make a meaningful difference to the causes and communities they serve. Because micro-donations matter, now more than ever.

About Poundland

Since opening its first store in Burton-upon-Trent in 1990, Poundland, has built a network of over 850 stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, offering top brands and great quality own brand products that provide customers with amazing value every day.

Nominated by Retail Week as Value Discounter of the Year 2019, it now has around 18,000 colleagues who serve over seven million customers every week from Wick to Weymouth, Londonderry to Lowestoft and Holyhead to Hastings.

Poundland offers thousands of quality products in store with over 1,000 well-known brands in 17 shopping categories including food and drink, health and beauty, household, gardening, DIY, pet, stationery, books, DVDs and toys. It is on a journey from a single price to a simple price point retailer. While most items in its stores are at its original £1 price point, it has extended ranges above and below £1 that also offer amazing value.

Within the UK Poundland has also rolled out its fashion brand PEP&CO to around 350 of its larger stores. PEP&CO, launched in 2015 as a standalone brand, offers customers a full range of women’s, men’s and kids’ fashion and is now bringing new style to Poundland with simple low pricing on family fashion that’s hard to find on local high streets.

From August 2020, the PEP&CO brand also began to power Poundland’s new homewares ranges, which have won widespread acclaim for their style and value. PEP&CO Home brings an on-trend, contemporary, and exclusive home and décor range to Poundland alongside a major refresh of how the products are displayed and merchandised.

Poundland now also offers chilled and frozen food in over 150 stores, which is set to rise to over 500 over the next two years, following its acquisition of Fultons Foods and an investment of £25m.

PEP&CO was also nominated in the 2019 Retail Week Awards as Private Label of The Year.

Now part of Pepco Group with 3,246 stores across Europe (as of 31 December 2020), Poundland also trades internationally through its Dealz brand in Poland, Spain and The Republic of Ireland.