Discount retailer Poundland has arrived in Athlone creating 30 new jobs.

Operating under the brand name Dealz, the store, the eighth in Ireland is located at the side of Golden Island Shopping Centre in units 33-35, formerly occupied by the Chartbuster chain and encompassing over 6,630 square foot of retail space. It opened for business last Thursday.

Since August last year Dealz has created 250 jobs nationwide, with further expansion planned for 2012. By the end of March of this year, Dealz will have invested over €2 milllion into the Irish economy and will have opened a number of additional stores.

An integrated part of Poundland, Dealz and has the same board and management team led by CEO Jim McCarthy. Dealz already has stores in Blanchardstown, Portlaoise, Letterkenny, Killarney, Cork Newbridge and Limerick, which are overseen by Leonard Brassel, Dealz Senior Business Manager in Ireland.

"We are excited to be kicking off 2012 with new stores opening in the Republic Of Ireland, with the introduction of Dealz Athlone where we are creating 30 new jobs," Dealz Senior Business Manager Leonard Brassel said this week of the new Athlone store opening.

Dealz is proud to be supporting Irish suppliers by stocking a number of locally sourced products which are secured from Irish producers. Local Irish brands include Tayto, Brennans Bakery, Dale Farm, Ballygarvey Eggs, and many more.

Poundland, which has over 370 stores in the UK, announced its expansion into the Republic of Ireland in August last year. The retailer has been planning a move into Europe for the past year and chose the Republic Of Ireland as the first country to benefit from its value proposition.