LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Pepco Group, the European discount retailer that issued two profit warnings last month, will slow down its rapid store opening programme to focus on rebuilding profitability, it said on Wednesday.

The Warsaw-listed group, which owns the Pepco and Dealz brands in Europe and Poundland in Britain, said it would open at least 400 net new stores in its 2023/2024 financial year, down from 668 in 2022/23.

It ended the 2022/23 year with 4,629 stores.

The group, which is hosting a capital markets day in Poland, said it would also review the store refit programme of its core business in central and eastern Europe.

Both moves are part of a plan to rebuild profitability by adopting a more disciplined approach to growth and investment capital expenditure across the group.

"We need to refocus on delivering more measured growth – doing less, to achieve more – with a greater focus on improving profitability and cash generation in our established business," executive chairman Andy Bond said.

On Sept. 28, the group lowered its profit outlook for the second time in less than three weeks, blaming an "increasingly challenging" trading environment in central and eastern Europe and a loss of focus from management. Its shares are down 27% over the last year.

Bond said that despite the current tough market backdrop he was confident about the group's future, highlighting its "market-leading customer proposition, strong balance sheet and resilient operating cash flow." (Reporting by James Davey Editing by Sarah Young and Mark Potter )