Latest news with #Borchert
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Poundland to close 68 branches after being sold for £1 - 82 more at risk
Poundland to close 68 branches after being sold for £1 - 82 more at risk It is also scrapping some of its lines and closing two warehouses A Poundland store in Blyth, Northumberland Poundland has announced plans to close 68 stores and two UK warehouses as part of a restructuring plan after being sold to investment firm Gordon Brothers. The chain will also stop selling frozen food, reduce the amount of chilled food it sells, and stop selling online. It will be closing its frozen and digital distribution centre in Darton, South Yorkshire, later this year and c losing its national distribution centre in Bilston, West Midlands, in early 2026. The discount chain, known for primarily selling products for £1, had been put on the market earlier this year after a sharp downturn in trading. On Tuesday, Poundland said it is seeking court approval for a restructuring plan to shut 68 shops and secure rent reductions on dozens more. The retailer said it expects to end up with between 650 and 700 stores after the overhaul. It currently runs around 800 stores across the UK and Ireland but stressed Irish shops have not been affected. Poundland said it also plans to close its frozen and digital distribution site at Darton, South Yorkshire, later this year and another warehouse at Springvale in Bilston, West Midlands, in early 2026. Around 350 people will be affected by the warehouse closures. Article continues below The company has not disclosed how many store workers will be impacted. It will also stop selling frozen food at stores where its currently offered and reduce its chilled food offer in the future. Poland-based Pepco Group, which has owned Poundland since 2016, said on Thursday it completed the sale of the business for a 'nominal' fee. Sources close to the process have said this was £1. Poundland's more-than-800 stores and roughly 16,000 employees will be transferred to the ownership of Gordon Brothers, the former owner of Laura Ashley, as a result. However as part of the deal, Poundland is set to undergo a restructuring plan, which will go through the High Court. Poundland said the details will be communicated 'in due course'. It is understood full details of the shake-up will be sent to company creditors in the coming days. The company is expected to seek around 100 store closures and a raft of rent reductions from landlords as part of the process. As part of the restructuring plan, Pepco is set to retain a minority stake in Poundland. Gordon Brothers has also said it is providing up to £80 million of financing to help fund the turnaround plan. Last month, Poundland reported revenues dropped by 6.5% to 985 million euros (£830 million) for the six months to March, compared with a year earlier. The brand suffered 'challenges across all categories' and had 18 net store closures over the period. Pepco said the deal will help it shift away from food and drinks, improve its revenue growth and boost its Borchert, Pepco Group chief executive, said: 'This transaction will strongly support our accelerated value creation programme by simplifying the group and focusing on our successful Pepco business. 'Poundland remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition. 'We want to sincerely thank all the Poundland team for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the group and wish Barry Williams and his team all the best for the future.' Mr Williams, chief executive of Poundland, said: 'We welcome Gordon Brothers as we focus on returning Poundland to its core heritage category strengths and place as an essential business to UK households. 'We look forward to working with our supplier base to ensure we continue providing exceptional value to budget-conscious consumers in the UK.' Article continues below Mark Newton-Jones, head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Gordon Brothers, said. 'We believe Poundland is an essential retailer serving UK consumers and plays an important role on the high street.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Arrest made in homicide on North Minnesota Ave
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — A 23 year old man was arrested Monday after officers responded to an unresponsive woman inside a home on North Minnesota Avenue earlier that day, a news release from Sioux Falls Police said. Owner of 18 Sioux Falls apartments declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy A suspect, Nathaniel Borchert, 23, was identified and arrested by investigators related to the woman's death. He was booked into jail Monday evening. Borchert was arrested for murder in the second degree and multiple counts of possession of child pornography. The investigation is ongoing. Police say additional information will be available at the upcoming police briefing, livestreamed on KELOLAND's live coverage page at 10:30 a.m.. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ed Tech Startup Boosts Teacher Well-Being With Feelings Check-ins and Care Packs
Committed. Exhausted. Comfortable. Frazzled. Valued. Stuck. Once a month, staffers at Sullivan Middle School in Sullivan, Illinois, pick adjectives to describe their feelings about work as part of an anonymous online survey. Principal Nathan Ogle said the short questionnaire, which he implemented in October, has helped transform employee culture at the rural school of 250 students. It's one of the products offered by Alpaca, an education technology startup that's trying to improve teacher well-being across the U.S. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The company has pulse surveys, downloadable resources and staff care packages that schools and districts can purchase. Since its 2022 launch in Omaha, Nebraska, Alpaca has worked with more than 100 schools and districts in 25 states. It received multiple awards in January at the 2025 Future of Education Technology Conference, which features ed tech innovations and businesses. 'It's been incredibly useful just to get that feedback from my staff on what things they're feeling and experiencing,' Ogle said. 'I've been able to respond to that stuff as it's coming in, more or less in real time.' During the 2023-24 school year, 48% of public school teachers reported declining mental health that impacted their work, up from 42% the year before, according to a 2024 EdWeek Research Center study. The percentage of teachers who reported their schools offered minimal or no employee wellness programming increased from 68% in 2023 to 72% in 2024. Related For Alpaca's founder, Karen Borchert, the focus is employee engagement and retention: 'What does it feel like to go to work when you are a teacher, what is it like and what could make it better?' Borchert went to college to become a high school teacher, but after earning her degree became interested in nonprofits and startups. She decided to create her own company after the pandemic hit and school staff shortages worsened. She began by selling subscription care packs to teachers and schools. The packs — which inspired the name Alpaca — cost $25 to $35 each and include items like snacks, pens, notepads, markers, tissues, lip balm and a handwritten note. Last year, Alpaca launched its online pulse survey along with free downloadable resources like staff activities, teacher appreciation tips and strategies to help administrators make their employees feel valued. Borchert said most of the schools that use Alpaca will have staff complete the survey in monthly meetings. Some use Alpaca's digital resources to host games and give out the care packages as prizes. 'We love to see them work together as a system or as a platform,' Borchert said. 'And then, by the time the principal gets back to their office, all of their survey data is live and ready, and they can see what's needed.' Ogle said the monthly pulse surveys are more useful than his district's annual climate survey, which doesn't provide results until after the school year is over. When he began implementing the survey last fall, many teachers said they felt stretched thin and wanted time to plan with one another. In response, he restarted a school tradition of 'Working Wednesdays.' Administrators took over supervising students during lunch so teachers could use that time to collaborate with colleagues. Related 'Since we've implemented that, 'stretched thin' is no longer a phrase that people are choosing' on the survey, he said. 'I have staff members who, if I just went and asked them, 'Hey, how are you doing?' They're going to say, 'Fine,' because that's what they do. But this gives them that opportunity to anonymously let me know how they're really doing.' Alpaca's reach also extends beyond schools and districts. High Desert Education Service District, a Bend, Oregon, agency that places thousands of substitute teachers in 10 nearby school districts every year, began using Alpaca in 2024. Part of the state's Department of Education, High Desert uses the pulse survey for the subs to rank how they feel about working in different schools and districts. Substitutes also receive Alpaca packs when they accept a certain number of school assignments. Borchert said Caddo Parish Public Schools in Shreveport, Louisiana, uses the products in its alternative teacher certification academy. And the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses the pulse survey and care packages for its student teachers. Sue Kemp, a professor in the university's special education department, said the survey results help her decide which schools to place student teachers at to gain practical experience in the classroom. Related 'It gives me a better picture about how the students are feeling and doing in their school,' she said. 'I get a better snapshot of the support that they're feeling in the school and in their own skill development, and what they need on top of it.' The student teachers and the educators who are supervising them in the classroom also receive monthly Alpaca packs as a way to say 'good job' or 'thank you' for their work, Kemp said. She said the students and the supervisors have reported that the care packages make them feel more positive about their jobs and more connected to the college. 'We are at a moment where I think our educators are going to need so much care, and they're going to need so many good support systems,' Borchert said. 'They're going to need to be able to say how they're feeling and what they need while we kind of walk through uncertain or unprecedented times.'
