POUNDLAND in Widnes has become the chain's 100th store to receive a new range of chilled and frozen food.

The store at Widnes Shopping Park has been fitted out with chiller and freezer cabinets to bring customers more than 400 items, from frozen pizza and pies to cheeseburgers and ice-cream.

The Widnes makeover is part of what is dubbed internally as 'Project Diamond Ice'.

It was accelerated by last month’s acquisition of Fultons Foods which kick-started a £25 million investment over the next two years.

Fultons worked in partnership with Poundland to develop and distribute the new ranges which will have reached 119 Poundland stores by mid-December.

Like all stores converted during the Covid-19 outbreak, the work at Widnes has been carried out in line with official guidance on safe working.

The revamped store will maintain the same standards of safety and hygiene that apply across all Poundland stores, protecting customers and colleagues.

Poundland transformation director, Mat Ankers, said: "To reach 100 stores with our chilled and frozen food in just over 12 months is a fantastic achievement by our colleagues in Poundland and Fultons.

"It’s fitting that Widnes is the 100th store because it is a great location for us, and we know our customers will love the new ranges and appreciate being able to do more of their shopping in a single trip."