Primark is planning to reopen all of its 153 stores in England on 15 June when lockdown restrictions are lifted, its owner AB Foods has said.
During lockdown the clothing chain has built up almost £2bn-worth of stock to sell, double its normal stockholding. However, bargain-hunters will be left disappointed after the firm said there would be no “special discounting”.
The stock will be sold in the normal course of business, albeit at a later date,” it said. The company said it had £1.5bn of stock on hand plus a commitment to suppliers to buy another £400m-worth. It normally holds stock worth £900m
The excess stock mainly comprises non-fashion and non-seasonal ranges plus some excess spring-summer goods, it said
Some of the latter will be held back until spring 2021 while the rest will be sold “in the normal course of business”.
Primark’s 37 shops in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will re-open in late June pending “further guidance”.
It has also pulled forward the opening of a new store in the Trafford Centre, Manchester to 15 June. It was originally planned to open in the third quarter of the year.
The company has already reopened more than 100 stores across Europe including 32 in Germany, 25 in Spain and 20 in the Netherlands.
It said it had learned lessons from the openings that would be carried forward to UK openings.
Social distancing protocols, hand sanitiser stations, perspex screens at tills and additional cleaning of high frequency touch points in the store are among the measures we are implementing,” it said.
Personal protection, including masks and gloves, are being made available to all employees, the company added. “These measures are designed to safeguard the health and wellbeing of everyone in store and to instill confidence in the store environment”.
