650 Poundland stores closing for 24 hours this weekend and reason why Poundland will close 650 of its stores across the UK for a 24 hour period this weekend Poundland is closing 650 of its stores this weekend (Image: Getty ) Poundland will shut 650 stores in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this Easter Sunday. Its Scotland stores will remain open as usual, reports MirrorOnline. ‌ Article continues below Large shops over 280 square meters are required by law to shut on Easter Sunday. READ MORE: Sainsbury's closing 61 supermarket cafes in days with full list of branches shutting Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join ‌ Smaller shops can remain open, although they normally reduce their opening times. Trading rules are different in Scotland, where all stores can stay open on Easter Sunday, regardless of their size. Opening hours will differ, so it is worth checking to see when your local branch will be open this weekend. ‌ You can search for the opening hours of your local Poundland by using the its store locator tool. Poundland stores will stay open on Good Friday and Easter Monday. It follows Poundland hiring advisory firm Teneo to oversee a sale of the business last month. ‌ A spokesman for Pepco Group confirmed the news to our sister title. They stated: "As stated at our capital markets day on March 6, we are actively exploring separation options, including a potential sale, for the Poundland business. We have started to work with advisers to support us with this process.” Sources separately told The Telegraph that a number of Poundland stores could be closed if the chain is sold. The firm had already hired Alix Partners to carry out a strategic review of the brand at the start of this year. It comes after parent company Pepco Group announced it was examining “all strategic options” for the firm, including a potential sale. ‌ The firm warned underlying earnings will come in at between €50million and €70million (£41.9 million and £58.6 million) down from €153million in 2023/24. The company blamed a “challenging” UK retail landscape, along with changes announced in the Budget, including higher National Insurance contributions for employers and an increase in the minimum wage. The rate of National Insurance paid by firms has risen from 13.8% to 15% while the earnings threshold for when employers start paying National Insurance has been lowered from £9,100 per year to £5,000. At the same time, minimum wage has risen by 6.7% for millions of workers. For someone aged 21 and over, minimum wage will rise from £11.44 an hour to £12.21 an hour, while those aged 18 to 20 will see their rate rise from £8.60 an hour to £10 an hour. If you're under 18 or you're an apprentice, minimum wage is rising from £6.40 an hour to £7.55 an hour. Article continues below Pepco said: “Poundland is a strong brand that serves millions of customers every week and had around two billion euros (£1.67 billion) in annual turnover in financial year 2024, but it is also operating in an increasingly challenging UK retail landscape that is only intensifying. “From April 2025, the UK Government’s additional tax changes announced in the Budget will also add further pressure to Poundland’s cost base. Therefore the board is actively evaluating all strategic options to separate Poundland from group during financial year 2025, including a potential sale.”