Northern Ireland

Primark reassures public after long queues pictured outside Belfast shop

Primark owner ABF has said government enforced lockdowns will hit its sales by £375m. Picture by Mal McCann.
Primark owner ABF has said government enforced lockdowns will hit its sales by £375m. Picture by Mal McCann. Primark owner ABF has said government enforced lockdowns will hit its sales by £375m. Picture by Mal McCann.

Primark has moved to reassure members of the public about its strict social distancing protocols after long queues were pictured outside it's Belfast shop over the weekend. 

Restaurant owners expressed anger at the Executive's decision to introduce stricter Covid-19 from Friday rules after large numbers of weekend shoppers lined Belfast's streets.

Restaurateur Bob McCoubrey of Mourne Seafood Bar in Belfast said the scenes were "hard to accept", while pubs and restaurants remain closed.

Aodhán Connolly of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium described the rise in footfall as “astronomical”.

He said while the desire among people to make Christmas as special as possible was understandable, he urged shoppers to stick to the regulations, wear face coverings and wash their hands and trolleys.

He also urged customers to be patient and show kindness to staff.

Primark said: "Nothing matters more to us than the safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers."

"As we re-open our stores in Northern Ireland in line with government advice, we continue to have extensive health and safety measures in place including a strict social distancing protocol and limits on the number of customers allowed in store," a Primark spokesperson added.

"Dedicated employees and security staff are on hand to help ensure these measures are adhered to.

"We continue to closely follow all safety advice from government across all our stores."

Cafes, which were given the go-ahead to reopen for seven days on Friday, saw brisk trade in Belfast over the weekend. Picture by Hugh Russell.
Cafes, which were given the go-ahead to reopen for seven days on Friday, saw brisk trade in Belfast over the weekend. Picture by Hugh Russell. Cafes, which were given the go-ahead to reopen for seven days on Friday, saw brisk trade in Belfast over the weekend. Picture by Hugh Russell.

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said the executive’s decision to close shops for two weeks from November 27 was "ill-thought-out".

"By their own actions the executive has brought a surge of Christmas shopping this week and potentially the two weeks after the December 11 reopening,” he said.

“How will this lower the R number and levels of the transmission of the virus?

“The executive did not consult the retail sector before it made this ill thought decision which will cause a huge increase of shoppers rushing to get their Christmas shopping done by Friday.”

Shoppers out in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Hugh Russell.
Shoppers out in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Hugh Russell. Shoppers out in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Hugh Russell.

A number of shopping centres, including Victoria Square in Belfast, have already responded to the surge in shoppers by announcing longer opening hours in the run up to Friday’s lockdown.’

Retail NI and Belfast Chamber yesterday urged shoppers to support local independent retailers when carrying out their Christmas shopping.

“The winners of this second lockdown will be multi-nationals and global online retailers and sadly the losers will be our own local small businesses,” said Glyn Roberts.

The chief medical officer said there was a greater risk of spreading infection in hospitality settings.

Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride told the BBC: "In restaurants and in pubs, individuals are engaged in different interaction, they are closer together for a longer period of time and the risk is therefore greater."

“So, we urge shoppers to make a special effort to support their local independent retailers to ensure these businesses can have a future.”

Shoppers out in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Hugh Russell.
Shoppers out in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Hugh Russell. Shoppers out in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Hugh Russell.