Primark may have announced plans to embark on a trial online venture with Asos, but the budget fashion retailer has no intention of scaling down its high street presence. This is underlined by the fact that the biggest Primark store in the world recently got even bigger, creating 131 new jobs in the process.
The store, in Manchester city centre, has undergone a refurbishment lasting over twelve months and now boasts 150,100 sq ft of retail space spread across three floors.
The interior revamp includes wider aisles, more displays, new escalators and extra till points and changing rooms.
There has also been an overhaul of the exterior of the white stone Victorian building. Besides being cleaned and restored from top to bottom, it has a new roof, lighting and signage.
Primark’s HR director, Breege O’Donoghue, said the refurbishment of the Market Street store demonstrates the group’s confidence at a time when other retailers are struggling to survive.
“We don’t talk of recession, but of hope and confidence,” she said.
UK and Ireland sales director, Allan Molloy, said the extensive renovation represented a major investment in Manchester and thanked customers for their patience during the work, which involved a team of 180 workers being on site every day for 71 weeks.
Primark has 257 stores worldwide and its cut-price fashions have allowed the company to prosper at a time when consumers have been tightening their belts.
The Primark story began in Dublin in 1969 when the first Penneys store opened on Mary Street. By 1973 the retailer had 18 stores in Ireland and opened its first outlets in the UK. The Manchester property, with a floorspace of 75,000 sq ft, opened in 2001.
Last year Primark made an operating profit of £356 million and is the UK’s biggest retailer by volume of goods sold.
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