Poundworld CEO Chris Edwards is opening a new store in Peterborough, just yards away from the city's longest-running small independent pound shop, owned by Zaffer Iqbal. Zaffer faces a David and Goliath battle as he vows to take on the national chain. With several pound shops in the town and the supermarket chains muscling in on the pound deal, is this arrival the last straw for the small retailer? The battle is fierce, and even Zaffer's own workers' loyalty is tested, with one ending up shopping in the rival pound giants.
In Burnley, assistant manager Ian Gilbert has secretly ordered a record number of cold drinks to cash in on the good weather, but there may be clouds on the horizon; can Ian sell his stash of soft drinks before no-nonsense regional manager Craig Atkinson pays a visit?
At the HQ warehouse, a new CCTV system is set up to catch workers grazing on shop stock. Will this new Big Brother approach stop the warehouse workers from pilfering?
Every day, Chris's 86-year-old mum Alice clocks in. She is the self-appointed 'Fat Controller', whose job is to keep her son on a healthy diet. Alice and Chris's family has a Traveller background; when the fairground comes to town, they meet up with relatives and friends.
Chris wants to open more shops, and believes he needs to raise money by cutting back on staff. Regional manager Craig believes this is damaging customer service. Chris sends his cost-cutting expert Ian Hamilton back to the shop floor to check. Will this strategy really affect customer service?
