Primark set to extend opening hours for shops again when it reopens
PRIMARK is set to extend opening hours for shops when it reopens in England on April 12.
Bosses said today that they are “looking at all options” for reopening – including longer hours.
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Last December when lockdown restrictions eased, Primark opened a number of stores for 24 hours to cope with the surge in demand.
The popular retailer, which has no online offering, saw shoppers queue for hours to get in store.
Today, it confirmed plans to reopen its 153 stores in England on April 12. It will then reopen its 20 shops in Scotland on April 26.
It is unclear when branches in Northern Ireland and Wales will reopen.
Timeline for businesses reopening after lockdown
PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has outlined his roadmap for easing England out of lockdown.
Businesses will be allowed to reopen on the following dates, as long as the "four steps to freedom" are met. Here's what we know so far:
April 12
- Retail
- Hospitality outdoors
- Hairdressers
- Zoos
- Self-catered staycations with one household
May 17
- Indoor hospitality
- Indoor exercise gyms
- Bingo halls
- Cinemas
- Sports stadiums to reopen but capped to 10,000 fans
- Saunas
- Spas
June 21
- Nightclubs
Strong sales are expected again when the latest lockdown eases.
In Austria where Primark stores are already open they have been at pre-pandemic levels.
Just 77 of its stores are currently open around the world, primarily in the US.
John Bason, finance boss at Primark owner ABF, said the latest collection would reflect the “freshness” of Spring.
New clothing ranges will include NBA themed sportswear and feature Disney characters from the Jungle Book as well as Lilo and Stitch.
He said the vaccine rollout would be a “gamechanger” paving the way for shopping to be even safer.
Lockdown store closures have cost ABF an estimated £1.6billion, it said.
The company added: "We expect the period after reopening to be very cash-generative.
"We expect to sell the £150million of spring/summer inventory held over from last year.
"Our cash outlay in the second half for the coming autumn/winter season will mostly benefit from the £260million autumn/winter stock held over from the first half."
We revealed what Primark branches would look like when they reopened in June last year.
In December, Primark's boss said late-night shoppers were mums wanting to socialise.
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Primark has not yet shared plans for measures in stores but shops will have to operate with covid-secure rules to guarantee social distancing.
To find your nearest Primark store in England you can use its .