Re-opening 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 15 June, following the recent announcement by the UK Government
• In Northern Ireland, Primark re-opened its stores with street access on 18 June, while stores located in shopping centres re-opened on 22 June
• In Wales, Primark re-opened all of its stores on 26 June
• In Scotland, Primark will re-open stores from 29 June; stores with street access will open on 29 June and stores located in shopping centres will re-open in the coming weeks
• All Primark products available in store as usual at our normal, great value prices; no sales or special offers as we re-open

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

Employee and customer safety are the highest priority for the re-opening of our stores. We are closely following all government safety advice and applying experience gained from our store openings across 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 have really missed our customers and we 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 favourite 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 re-open our doors.

Store opening times can be found here

SOCIAL DISTANCING: We have implemented a strict social distancing protocol across 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 queues at tills and entrances to stores
• We have hired additional security staff to help customers follow social distancing measures while queueing to enter our store
• We have redesigned the layout of our stores to allow for more space between people by reconfiguring our queuing system at our till points to allow for social distancing. Dedicated employees are on hand to manage the correct flow of the queue.
• We have temporarily closed off fitting rooms, customer toilets 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 tannoy announcements are made in store reminding customers to adhere to social distancing measures

PERSONAL PROTECTION: We have increased personal protection for employees and customers:

• Hand sanitiser stations will be made available at the entrance and on the shop floor and back of house for employee and customer use
• Every second till is closed, in order to leave appropriate space between customers and between employees. Perspex screens have been installed on open tills to protect customers and employees
• Face masks and gloves are available to all employees if they wish to use them
• Customers are asked to sanitise their hands upon entry. Dedicated employees are on hand to assist customers if needed
• All returns will be managed in line with government advice
• We have removed all testers from the health and beauty department
• We are encouraging card payments and contactless when possible to minimise cash interactions. Limits have been increased for contactless payments where this was possible
• We have appointed dedicated employees to manage queues at tills and entrances to stores 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 have increased the frequency and intensity of in-store cleaning:

• We have invested significantly in increasing the frequency and rigour of our store cleaning policy across all our markets: giving particular attention to high-frequency touchpoints such as tills, escalators, lifts, and employee areas in the back of house
• A deep clean of each store is carried out before re-opening
• We have increased the frequency of cleaning throughout the day
• We have introduced a basket cleaning system, so each basket handle is cleaned before use
• Sanitising wipes are made available for employees to sterilise baskets and cashpoints

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