There is a particular frisson of pleasure in buying something if the price tag suggests you’re picking up a bargain — and it must be the appeal of being able to buy well-made items at reasonable prices that has helped to sustain the irrepressible growth of discount retailing in Britain. While many shops are reeling, unable to cope as customers move online or draw in the purse-strings, value-led store operators seem to going from strength to strength.
Which brings us to B&M European Value Retail, rare among the lower-cost British players in that it is listed. Founded in 1978, when it opened its first store in Blackpool, B&M has grown rapidly, including through acquisitions, and at the last count this month it had 657 B&M