History. No count from the five: Carpetright sold 54 of its 272 stores, Typhoo's sale was still being agreed when administrators came, and Claire's had no deal.
Hunch. Before 29 October Gordon Brothers turned down Martin Property Group's offer for the whole chain, which would pay off only half of the £30m loan.
Resolves YES if by the end of 12 November 2026 Poundland, Gordon Brothers, the administrators or the buyer announce a signed deal, or say a sale has been agreed, under which one buyer takes more than half of Poundland's stores, more than 300 of about 600 with Dealz stores counted, with or without administrators. A sale in parts to several buyers, a sale of up to 300 stores, an agreement in principle, a 'preferred bidder' or talks with no announced deal is NO, and a statement by any of them confirmed by BBC News settles it, or BBC News and The Guardian together if no statement can be opened.
We looked for cases where a UK company filed a notice to appoint administrators while its owner was also one of its main lenders. We found five since 2020. In two, administrators came within three days. Carpetright got them on the sixth working day after filing and Typhoo on the eighth, both before the protection ended. Claire's got them on the fifteenth, after it ended.