Poundland has brought back its former Pep&Co head of buying and design Maria Epaminondas ahead of the relaunch of its fashion range next year, Retail Week understands.
Epaminondas, who left the value retailer in 2023, is understood to have returned to the business earlier this month.
It comes as Poundland is gearing up to relaunch the Pep&Co brand in early 2026 under its new owner Gordon Brothers, which snapped up the chain in June for £1.
The retailer phased out its own-brand clothing and general merchandise range in the summer of 2023, in exchange for products sourced by its then owner Pep&Co that were available across Europe.
Almost immediately, the discount chain saw a slowdown in sales as it struggled to shift the new ranges and lost customers to rivals. Following several consecutive quarters of steep losses, Pep&Co put the business up for sale in March.
Epaminondas had previously been responsible for the chain’s Pep&Co ranges for more than seven years, joining the business in 2016. Prior to that, she worked as a senior knitwear buyer for Debenhams Group and held similar roles at Select Fashion and Arcadia Group.
The Pep&Co relaunch forms part of managing director Barry Williams’ efforts to revive the retailer. As part of his plans, the business has expanded its £1 lines, streamlined its grocery offer and axed its ecommerce business.
The retailer received the green light for its restructuring plan from the High Court last month, which included up to 60 store and two warehouse closures, rent reductions across hundreds of sites, and thousands of job losses.
It comes after Retail Week revealed that Poundland had slashed over 100 jobs at its head office in Walsall earlier this week, as part of a company-wide restructuring of the business.
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