Video: How do pound stores stay so cheap?

On BBC 1’s Breakfast this morning Simon Jack spoke to Hussein Lalani, chief executive of 99p Stores, on the business’s tenth birthday. Hussein talks about how he worked with Kraft Foods to reduce the size of Toblerone so his 138 stores could sell the product for under £1. Individual retailers can only dream of having such an influence over their suppliers, but they can take something from Hussein’s observation that in recession-hit Britain middle-class shoppers get more price conscious. Sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar now regularly feature on 99p Store shelves. Have you been noticing a demand for more exclusive products from your customers?