Poundland's sold 40,000 engagement rings ahead of Valentine's Day

Forget buying your other half flowers or chocolates. It seems the modern way to show your love this Valentine’s Day is with a £1 ring from Poundland.

The discount retailer told the BBC it had sold almost 40,000 engagement rings ahead of Valentine's Day this year, nearly double the 20,000 snapped up last year.

Yep, the £1 “Bling Rings” and “Man Bands” look set to be making an appearance at many a romantic dinner this evening.

For those who think £1 is a little cheap for a ring can rest assured they are not meant to be a real deal, but instead a placeholder for proper rings, the retailer said.

'The Man Band' is the latest addition to Poundland’s Valentine's Day range and has been launched in time for women to make Leap Year proposals to their partners.

The packaging reads: “Take the leap and do the asking.....Because he might never get around to it!!”

The trend for male engagement rings has been on the rise since the start of 2019 with the increase in same-sex marriages, and Leap Year proposals becoming more popular than ever.

A spokesperson for Poundland said: “At the start of a new decade; the ‘Man Band’ is the perfect way for women to take control of their destiny and for men to show off their love status and enjoy the engagement limelight for a change!

“The success of the ‘Bling Ring’ last year proves that the Poundland proposal is definitely the way to do it in 2020; and at only £1 why wait another four years to get down on one knee!”

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Those wanting to snap up a ‘Man Band’ or ‘Bling Ring’ before tonight’s romantic festivities will need to be quick as a tweet from the discount store revealed the rings are “selling like rock cakes”.

The rings also proved to be a massive hit last year, with romantics choosing from a range of rings, including one with a red heart-shaped jewel in the centre, a blue marquise shaped stone, and a round faux-diamond.

“These are beautiful placeholder rings because we know they’ll want to buy their own,” a Poundland spokesperson said last year.

“We’re looking forward to the Poundland proposal becoming the way it’s done. Our bling ring is setting the scene for the real deal.”

Poundland’s 2020 Valentine’s range, which the retailer described as its biggest yet, features over 80 products ranging from fragrances to fluffy cushions, and grow your own boyfriends and girlfriends.

For others looking for an alternative to the usual flowers and chocolates this Valentine’s Day, Heinz and Fortnum & Mason have teamed up to come up with the perfect gift for Ketchup fans - Ketchup truffles.

2020 is sure shaping up to be the year of the weird alternatives to flowers. First we had the chicken nugget bouquet and then Co-op came out with the ice cream cones that look like roses.