SHOPPERS in Oswestry will be given a boost as Poundland, in Cross Street, is set to reopen on Friday.

The move to take the store out of 'hibernation' comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK's plans to come out of the third Covid-19 lockdown on Monday.

Oswestry is one of 18 stores in England to be reopened, in what is begin dubbed 'Operation Spring Back', and will have all Covid-19 safety regualtions and guidelines in place.

Austin Cooke, Poundland retail director, said: “We’re proud to have kept most of our stores open serving our communities with the essentials they need, but in some places, we couldn’t stay open when so many of our neighbours were forced to close.

“The roadmap is good news for retailers and our town centres which have such an important role to play in our recovery and our colleagues and customers will be delighted that we’re re-opening in these locations, and so are we.

“Safety continues to be our first priority, and shoppers can return with confidence – we’re well versed in making our stores safe place to shop.

"We’re all looking forward to giving them a warm welcome as they return.”

The company said all reopened stores will operate to the highest standards of safety with barrier screens at checkouts and thorough and regular cleaning regimes applied across the day.

Customers are asked to observe government guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks. For the list of stores re-opening this week, please see the table below.