A NEW high street discount brand is to open one of its very first stores at the Hardshaw Centre this weekend.

One Below will launch on Saturday, March 16 at 10am at the former Poundworld unit in The Hardshaw Centre, creating 20 local retail jobs for the town.

The new independent chain is described as the first discount store in the UK to sell everything for £1 and under including a wide range of brands such as Coca Cola, Pedigree, Heinz, Kellogg’s and Cadbury’s.

One Below will sell more than 5,000 products, retailing at £1 or less with prices starting at as little as 29p.

The store will stock a wide range of items across 10 departments including groceries, home, health and beauty, baby care, toy, DIY, partyware, craft and gardening.

To mark One Below’s launch on Saturday, store opening celebrations will take place throughout the opening weekend.

Goody bags will be handed to the first 50 customers, filled with a selection of exciting gifts.

Many of the former staff who lost jobs when the former Poundworld store went in to administration last year have been given employment at the new shop.

The One Below brand is being independently financed and launched by father and son entrepreneurs, Christopher Edwards, 36 and Christopher Edwards Senior.

The retail businessmen, from Wakefield, were the original founders of former high street retailer, Poundworld Retail Limited before it was sold to American private equity conglomerate, TPG Capital in 2014.

One Below plans to open 10 stores in the North West and 50 stores nationally this year.

Managing director of One Below Retail Ltd, Christopher Edwards, said: “We’re happy to be launching one of our first One Below stores in St Helens.

“We’re also delighted to be able to employ many of the former Poundworld staff, who were some of the 6,000 employees to have lost their jobs when the new owners of the business, TPG Capital, sent the business in to administration in 2018.

“One Below will be the only name on the high street offering everything it sells for either £1 only or even less than a pound with branded, quality products costing as little as 29p.

“We look forward to helping local shoppers to save on a variety of their favourite products.”