Poundland is closing nine former Wilko stores which it opened under the Poundland brand just months ago. It’s understood employees working at the affected locations have been offered roles in nearby stores. The retailer’s owner Pepco agreed to buy up to 71 Wilko stores in September, subsequently converting 64 former Wilko shops by mid-December. A spokesperson for Poundland said: “We moved really quickly to open a significant number of former Wilko stores in the final calendar quarter of 2023 so we could offer roles quickly. “While it’s disappointing we haven’t been able to make a small number …