Poundland wins over yummy mummies of Twickenham

It is the kind of neighbourhood where the arrival of an organic food shop would be welcomed with open arms.

So when Poundland announced it was opening a branch in Twickenham town centre there was little enthusiasm - to put it mildly.

Indeed some locals were so outraged they started a Facebook campaign against the arrival of the discount chain. Others said the space, formerly occupied by Woolworths, should be used for a farmers' market.

Now, two months on, the store - which sells everything from household bleach to children's fairy outfits, all for £1 - has proved an unexpected hit.

Even Poundland bosses say they have been surprised and are now targeting other affluent areas, such as Epsom.

At peak times, queues of customers tail back into the aisles. Today residents said it was "the busiest shop in Twickenham".

Frances McDermott, 36, a nurse, said she bought toiletries and stationery at the store: "The quality's no different from other shops. People are sometimes snooty about Poundland because it's associated with rundown areas. A lot of people were against it but it's good value for money."

Mother-of-two Sylvie Boulanger, 40, said: "I should really say that I don't shop at Poundland, but I do. I buy kids' stuff like stickers, toys and party bag fillers - they're cheaper than Tesco. Is it an asset to Twickenham? No, it's an embarrassment. I don't think it reflects well on the town but it's very busy. It's probably the busiest shop in Twickenham."

Averil Beaton, 51, a chartered accountant from Teddington, added: "It's good for buying branded toiletries like shampoo and deodorant as it's cheaper than the supermarkets. I'm not surprised it's busy."

Poundland area manager Rachid Adili said the credit crunch had helped change the attitudes of the middle classes. "They want the same quality for cheaper. It is a swanky neighbourhood and even on our side we were thinking it would be difficult because of the area," he said.

"But it's busy and the numbers coming through the door are high and have exceeded our expectations. It seems to be they couldn't resist the value for money."

Poundland says that more than one in 10 of its shoppers are now drawn from the AB social classes, and at the height of the recession their number shot up by 22 per cent.

Private equity owner Advent International, which bought Poundland for £50 million in 2002, sold it this month for £200 million to another private equity firm, Warburg Pincus. The new owner wants to turn it into a high street name across the country.