Primark is to invest more than £100 million in its UK stores in 2024, as it marks 50 years on the Great British high street.
The news includes more than £75 million of new investment in UK retail this year, building on plans it announced back in November 2022.
This year, the retailer will open new stores in Bury St. Edmunds (due to open on 6 March), as well as Teesside Park and Glasgow Fort later in the year. Alongside these, Primark will open some of its biggest ever store extensions across the country: London’s Westfield Stratford store will almost double in size to more than 81,000sq. ft to become the second largest Primark in the capital for example.
Looking to the north, Metrocentre in Gateshead, Tyneside, will grow to almost 80,000sq. ft of total shopping space once reopened later this year.
New store locations and extensions combined, Primark is set to reach 195 stores and almost 8 million sq. ft of selling space by the end of the year. The new stores and significant extensions will result in almost 700 new jobs across these stores this year.
While also relocating several Primark stores in Bradford, High Wycombe and Bolton to new and improved sites, 15 existing stores will be refurbished this year as part of its ongoing refit programme, with more stores to follow. This includes upgrading décor and store fixtures, alongside the continued rollout of LED lighting as part of Primark’s progress towards its commitment to halve its carbon footprint by 2030.
Two new store locations in Epsom, Surrey, and Newbury, Berkshire, are also confirmed and are set to open from 2025.
“We’ve changed a lot in the 50 years since we opened the doors on our first store in Great Britain in Derby back in 1974, but at our heart, we are still the same,” commented Kari Rodgers, UK retail director at Primark. “We’re as committed as ever to offering the very best value on the high street and making great fashion more affordable and accessible for everyone. This latest investment will mean bigger and better stores, hundreds of new jobs across the country and shows our ongoing commitment to the UK high street.”
Outside of the UK, Primark can now be found in 15 other countries and has an ambition to reach 530 stores across its markets by the end of 2026.
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