Wrekenton Poundzone becomes an internet hit as Facebook videos go viral

The family-run Poundzone in Wrekenton, near Gateshead, has amassed a huge following after its videos advertising big brands at "ridiculously cheap" prices went viral overnight.

Run by Graham Smith and son Lewis, as many as 100,000 tune in each time to see what new bargains are to be had as the pair show off their best deals on Facebook.

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And it has continued to prove a hit with shoppers now flocking from right across the North East to see the shop for themselves - while grabbing a bargain of their own.

Lewis Smith, left and his father, Graham Smith at Poundzone Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Graham revealed the secret to their success of the shop and how they can get away with their cut-throat prices.

He said: "We've been running the shop for four-and-a-half years now, but before that, I had a very successful wholesaling business.

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"However, I encountered a serious illness which left me with bad hearing and had to learn to walk again, so the business had to be sold."

Mr Smith, whose father Ronnie Smith worked in the industry for 40 years, said it was his previous role which allows him to sell the goods at "dirt cheap" prices.

Lewis Smith showing off one of their 'deals' Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

He said: "We've ended up with a lot of very good wholesaling contacts and we can now cut out the middle man.

"That means we can get a better profit margin, passing on the savings, and give our customers a much better price."

In their viral Facebook videos, uploaded every few days, popular household goods can see as much as 80 percent slashed off the recommended retail price or RRP.

Reduced to just a fraction of the RRP, some of the impressively cheap deals include Kellogg's for 99p, 24 packets of crisps for £1 and three cans of Pepsi for a £1.

Despite the cheaper prices, some may suspect the goods are "out of date," but Mr Smith confirmed that could not be further from the truth.

He said: "We don't sell any products which are out of date, we sell a range of short-dated products and we sell products with a long date.

"We've just finished our special deal on Kellogg's which are normally £2.99 and we are selling them for 99p with a five-month date code."

Following the success of their videos, the shop has seen a massive spike in customer numbers. 

Regular Poundzone customers now come from more than 25 miles away, including Northumberland and County Durham.

The family-run business also incorporates a Post Office Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

Mr Smith said: "They're not coming here for three cans of pop, but they're looking and saying 'what can they get' to fill their baskets.

"Someone drove down yesterday from Blyth, but we get customers from as far as Consett, Wingate and Durham."

And with the power of the internet, their videos have been viewed right across the UK, prompting some to make the trek from even further afield. 

This week, a customer made their way up from Leeds in West Yorkshire in order to buy a Wrekenton Poundzone-branded T-Shirt for their son's birthday.

Mr Smith added: "We didn't expect this, we knew we could make a good store here, but we didn't expect to get the reaction we did.

"We have a great team of staff behind us and we genuinely want to serve people and have them wanting to come back."

To view Wrekenton Poundzone and to see more of their videos on Facebook click here

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