US investment firm Gordon Brothers is ‘taking due care’ to consider if one of three bidders has enough funds

Poundland’s owner has said it is “taking due care” to consider if one of three bidders had enough funds to ensure its survival after the troubled budget retail chain secured two more weeks to find a deal.

The management of Poundland, which employs approximately 12,000 people and operates 600 stores in the UK and Ireland, won approval from the high court for an extension of legal protection from creditors on Thursday morning.