THE son of groundbreaking Black Country retailer Steve Smith, who took the high street by storm with his shop Poundland, is hoping to prove he is a chip off the old block.

Ashley Smith has launched Poundshop.com from a warehouse in Brierley Hill and the firm which will sell you everything from Loreal makeup, pet food and even La Senza underwear for a £1.

Ashley reckons he can beat his dad at his own game, believing online shopping offers far better scope than high street retailing.

Since launching officially in February last year, the Poundshop.com already has 140,000 customers and was recently featured on BBC1’s Pound Shop Wars. The firm has ambitious growth plans, aiming to reach a turnover of £100 million.

The 20-year-old said: said: “We’ve captured the ‘Amazon-effect’ in the pound shop market space. Not having physical shops makes us a lot more agile and keeps costs down, meaning we can offer deals that my dad never could. We once managed to get clearance stock of La Senza underwear and sold 80,000 pairs in one day.

"You just couldn’t do that if you had to get them to the high street."

He added: “When my dad was running Poundland, the average customer would spend about £3 in store.

"Our average order is £35, which knocks the spots off that. In fact, our biggest ever order was a whopping £813 - the guy ordered everything from bleach to t-shirts to food.”

Part of Poundshop.com’s success has been down to partnerships with websites such as Money Saving Expert and VoucherCodes.co.uk, who send an e-blast to thousands of thrifty shoppers when Poundshop.com has an extra special deal.

The firm is rapidly expanding, with plans to increase the team from 10 to 20 people and will soon be moving to bigger premises.

Mr Smith added: “It’s a 24-hour business, with customers ordering through the night. We’ll deliver to them the very next day, so for many people it’s more convenient than going to the shops.”