Reopening Our Stores – What To Expect?

Primark re-opens on 15 June in England, 18 June in Northern Ireland, 26 June in Wales and 29 June in Scotland: same great products, with employee and customer safety the highest priority

• Primark reopened all of its 153 stores in England on June 15th, following the recent announcement by the UK Government.
• In Northern Ireland, we reopened stores with street access on June 18th, while stores located in shopping centers reopened on June 22nd.
• In Wales, all our stores reopened on June 26th.
• In Scotland, Primark's stores will reopen from June 29th; stores with street access will open on June 29th and stores located in shopping centers will reopen in the coming weeks.
• Our products will be sold at our normal, great value prices meaning there will be no sales or special offers when we reopen.

June 26th 2020: In line with recent government guidance, we were very happy to welcome customers back to our Primark stores in England on June 15, and our Northern Ireland stores on June 18. In Wales, all our stores opened on June 26th. In Scotland, our stores with street access will re-open on June 29th and stores located in shopping centres will re-open in the coming weeks.

Employee and customer safety is the highest priority for the reopening of our stores. We are closely following all government safety advice and applying experience gained from our store openings throughout Europe, putting rigorous health and safety measures in place in all stores, including a strict social distancing protocol, personal protection for employees and customers and increased in-store cleaning. Full details of the measures we have introduced in every store can be found below.

We have released a store walkthrough video of our Westfield London store so that our customers know what to expect and what measures are in place when they visit Primark stores.

Primark CEO Paul Marchant said,

“We've really missed our customers and are delighted to be back and able to provide them with the quality, affordable products they love from Primark.

“While it might take a little longer to get into store, once inside, customers will find all their favorite Primark products and plenty of choice as usual. We have worked hard to make sure that clear signage and extra help will be there to guide them through the changes we have made to allow for social distancing.

“We are also asking customers to respect the measures we have put in place to help ensure shopping at Primark is an enjoyable, safe experience for everyone.”

Our products will be sold at our normal, great value prices which means there will be no sales or special offers when we reopen our doors.

Store opening times can be found here

SOCIAL DISTANCING: We've implemented a strict social distancing protocol in all our stores:

• We are following government guidelines and limiting the number of customers allowed in-store at any one time to allow for the appropriate distance in between customers and employees.
• Clear signage and floor decals, as well as dedicated employees who are responsible for managing lines at checkouts and store entrances.
• We've hired additional security staff to help customers follow social distancing measures while lining up to enter our store.
• We've redesigned the layout of our stores to allow for more space between people by reconfiguring our line system at our register points to allow for social distancing. Dedicated employees are on hand to manage the correct flow of the line.
• We have temporarily closed off fitting rooms, customer rest rooms and our cafe and beauty concessions in stores which have them. We may review this policy as the situation develops and in line with government guidance.
• Entry and exit points are clearly marked.
• Frequent announcements are made in store to remind customers to stick to social distancing measures.

PERSONAL PROTECTION: We've increased personal protection for employees and customers:

• Hand sanitizer stations will be made available at the entrance, on the shop floor and at back of house for employee and customer use.
• Every second register is closed, in order to leave appropriate space between customers and between employees. Clear screens have been installed on registers to help protect customers and team members.
• Face masks and gloves are available to all employees if they would like to use them.
• Customers will be able to sanitize their hands when entering.. Dedicated team members are on hand to assist customers if needed.
• All returns will be managed in line with government advice.
• We've removed all testers from the health and beauty department.
• We're encouraging card payments and contactless when possible to minimize cash interactions. Limits have been increased for contactless payments where this was possible.
• We've appointed dedicated team members to manage lines ata registers and store entrances and throughout the store, to ensure social distancing measures are being followed. *Dedicated employees make sure hand hygiene stations are topped up and report any issues or concerns to the store manager.

IN-STORE CLEANING: We've increased the frequency and intensity of in-store cleaning:

• We've invested significantly in increasing the frequency and rigor of our store cleaning policy in all our markets, giving particular attention to high-frequency touchpoints like registers, escalators, elevators, and employee areas in back of house.
• A deep clean of each store is carried out before reopening.
• We've increased the frequency of cleaning throughout the day.
• We've introduced a basket cleaning system, so each basket handle is cleaned before use.
• Sanitizing wipes are made available for employees to sterilize baskets and cashpoints.

We've released a store walkthrough video of our Westfield London store so our customers know what to expect and what measures are in place when they visit Primark stores.