SKIPTON Poundland store is to remain open, the company has said, despite 44 of the chain's 800 sites being closed temporarily.

The discount retailer said it will place a raft of its stores into ‘hibernation’ from Saturday January 9.

Austin Cooke, Poundland’s retail director, said: “We learned valuable lessons during the lockdown in March about how buying patterns change as people stick to Government advice to stay at home.

“Putting a small number of stores into hibernation helps protect them for the long term and focus our attention on the majority of stores that remain open to serve their neighbourhoods.

“We hope this lockdown is short and we can reopen our hibernating stores as quickly as possible and we remain grateful for the vital support schemes available to us that help protect jobs.”

No stores in Yorkshire are closing temporarily and the nearest one to Skipton which is being 'hibernated' is in Charter Walk, Burnley.

During the first lockdown in March, Poundland temporarily shut 120 stores but reopened these sites in May as footfall began to recover.