Ain't nuthin' but a Pound-dog – Elvis becomes the voice of Poundland for a month

The Black Country-based budget store chain has installed the voice of Elvis Presley on all the self-checkouts at more than 400 stores nationwide.

To mark the national roll-out the company turned its Kings Heath store in Birmingham into Graceland for a day, complete with Elvis impersonators and lookalikes rocking up in their Blue Suede Shoes and donning the diamanté for the event.

The chosen stores will now have Elvis voiced self-checkouts offering more than A Little Less Conversation , as they begin to surprise shoppers expecting to hear the standard till point instructions from now until the end of September.

Poundland’s UK & Ireland managing director Barry Williams said: “It was Always on My Mind to bring Elvis to Poundland. We are excited to see the reaction in store. Elvis’ voice is instantly recognisable, and we hope Poundland’s playful humour is too.”

He added: “Those with Suspicious Minds, might be thinking who’s next? And those shoppers will have to wait and see which legend with be joining the Poundland self-checkout hall of fame next.”

Which suggests that Elvis's is just the first of a string of famous voices that will be entertaining Poundland shoppers over the coming months.

It is the latest in a string of off-the-wall promotions from the Willenhall-based store chain, which has grown to almost 850 stores across the UK and Ireland – as well as more in France, Spain and Poland – since it was first launched in 1990 by former market trader Steve Smith.

Mr Smith and his father sold up for £50 million in 2002 and the chain is now owned by the South African retail giant Steinhoff, which has been introducing its Pep&Co fashion brand into stores since last year.

Poundland's 18,000 staff serve more than seven million customers every week and the company recently launched its own skincare brand.