Pepco, the utility that serves 1.1 million customers in D.C. and Maryland, has announced it’s extending breaks for customers who’ve found their energy bills jumped dramatically this winter.

Poland-based Pepco Group said it was considering “all strategic options” to spin out the struggling 825-strong chain from the wider group as it focuses on its more profitable Pepco brand.

Pepco Group is “actively exploring” a potential sale of Poundland as it moves towards a simpler business model focused on its higher-margin Pepco brand. The discount retail group, which owns ...