Discount retailer Poundland has partnered with the retail industry charity Retail Trust to provide its 12,000 employees with more support to protect their mental health.

They will be given access to the Retail Trust’s wellbeing helpline and a range of other measures, including counselling, financial aid and support for young people in their care.

Poundland managers will receive CPD accredited training to support their teams and the Retail Trust will provide access to its generative AI-powered happiness dashboard which helps retailers better identify and respond to wellbeing trends.

Nearly half of all retail staff told the Retail Trust they faced weekly verbal or physical attacks from shoppers last year, and Poundland staff will also be provided with dedicated resources to help them deal with abuse at work.

Barry Williams, Poundland managing director, said: “We’re pleased to have recently briefed our colleagues on our new partnership with the Retail Trust to support their mental health and wellbeing.

“Our colleagues do an amazing job, but we know working in retail, especially on the shop floor, can at times be challenging. We’re committed to doing all we can to support them and we look forward to the resources the Retail Trust will bring.”

The Retail Trust works with more than 200 retailers to improve the mental health of staff, including Mountain Warehouse which announced a new partnership with the charity last year.

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “We’re looking forward to helping thousands more retail workers across the country live happier and healthier lives thanks to our work with Poundland this year.

“This includes new training and insight to help managers provide the right support to their teams and more resources to help staff deal with rising levels of shop worker abuse.”

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