Poundland partners with Retail Trust to expand mental health support for 12,000 staff 

Discount retailer Poundland has partnered with retail industry charity the Retail Trust to provide additional mental health and wellbeing support to its 12,000 employees across the UK. 

Under the partnership, Poundland staff will gain access to the Retail Trust’s wellbeing helpline alongside a wider package of support, including counselling, financial aid and services for young people in their care. The initiative is designed to strengthen support for employees working in a sector facing sustained pressure on mental health and safety. 

Managers at Poundland will also receive CPD-accredited training to help them better support their teams. In addition, the Retail Trust will provide access to its generative AI-powered happiness dashboard, which enables retailers to identify wellbeing trends and respond more effectively to emerging issues within their workforce. 

The move comes against a backdrop of rising abuse towards retail workers. According to the Retail Trust, nearly half of retail employees reported experiencing verbal or physical abuse from customers on a weekly basis last year. As part of the partnership, Poundland staff will be given dedicated resources to help them deal with abuse at work. 

Barry Williams, managing director of Poundland, said the retailer was committed to strengthening support for colleagues working in challenging environments. 

“We’re pleased to have recently briefed our colleagues on our new partnership with the Retail Trust to support their mental health and wellbeing,” he said. “Our colleagues do an amazing job, but we know working in retail, especially on the shop floor, can at times be challenging. 

“We’re committed to doing all we can to support them and we look forward to the resources the Retail Trust will bring.” 

The retail sector continues to report high levels of stress, burnout and exposure to hostile behaviour, particularly for frontline staff. Long and irregular hours, financial pressure and customer aggression have all been linked to declining wellbeing and increased absence across the industry. 

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said the charity welcomed the opportunity to extend its reach through the new partnership. 

“We’re looking forward to helping thousands more retail workers across the country live happier and healthier lives thanks to our work with Poundland this year,” he said. “This includes new training and insight to help managers provide the right support to their teams, and more resources to help staff deal with rising levels of shop worker abuse.” 

The Retail Trust currently works with more than 200 retailers to improve mental health and wellbeing across the sector. Other partners include Mountain Warehouse, which announced a new collaboration with the charity last year. 

For employers, the partnership highlights the growing role of sector-specific support in addressing workforce wellbeing. Retail has consistently recorded some of the highest levels of workplace stress and abuse, and charities such as the Retail Trust increasingly act as an extension of internal wellbeing provision, particularly for large, dispersed workforces. 

As retailers continue to navigate economic uncertainty and workforce shortages, partnerships focused on mental health and safety are likely to become a more central feature of people strategies across the sector.