Primark is preparing to welcome customers back into stores Northern Ireland on Friday for the first time this year.
Extended opening hours across all nine stores will be introduced to help reduce queues, spread demand and give customers more time to shop safely.
For the first week initially, all stores will open at 8am (excluding Sunday), with some opening later in the evening. Times will vary so customers should check their local opening hours here.
Primark enjoyed an all-time record week of trading in England and Wales when shops reopened on April 12.
With an apparent end to restrictions in sight, shoppers are buying more outfits for going out, rather than stay-at-home comfort clothes, and are also making specific trips to city centre stores.
John Bason, finance chief of the retailer’s parent company Associated British Foods (ABF), said that there has been a shift in the spread, with pre-Covid trading typically concentrated in lunchtimes, evenings and weekends and the items being bought.
The finance chief said: “This is our emergence from the third lockdown. If you compare it to the people coming back in June of last year, and December of last year – those trends were characterised by people still buying clothes in terms of lockdown, easy to wear clothes.
“What is striking this time is, fashion is back… It feels like people are thinking more about what they’re going to wear when they go out with friends or go out to dinner and all those social occasions.”
Primark will have additional security and dedicated employee marshals on hand to help manage customer queues outside stores, as well as safety measures in-store. This includes a strict social distancing protocol, limits on the number of customers allowed in, requiring the use of face coverings while inside, hand sanitisation stations at entrances, Perspex screens and cubicles at till points and increased in-store cleaning.
Primark CEO Paul Marchant, said: “We can’t wait to welcome back our customers in Northern Ireland; our stores are fully stocked with fresh new season fashion, all at Primark’s famous amazing prices. Between our great value, everyday must-haves and hot new season trend collections, we’ve got everything our customers have been waiting for. We’ve seen a great response to our re-opening by our customers in England and Wales, and we know our customers in Northern Ireland will love our new Spring/Summer offering too.
"Safety remains at the front of our minds. We have extended opening hours in our stores in Northern Ireland to help meet demand safely but we’re also asking our customers for their support in adhering to social distancing and safety measures, both while queuing outside and in-store, to help maintain a safe and enjoyable shopping experience for all.”
