Primark stores to reopen across England on 15 June

Retail group says safety is its ‘highest priority’ as it prepares to welcome customers back to shops

A woman cycles passed a shut Primark store on Oxford Street, London (EPA/NEIL HALL)

Primark has announced the date that all of its stores across England are scheduled to reopen.

In March, Primark started closing its shops in light of the coronavirus pandemic, including stores across Europe and all 189 of its branches in the UK.

On Monday 1 June, Associated British Foods plc, of which Primark is a subsidiary, revealed when the retailer is due to reopen its doors.

The firm explained that the closure of Primark stores “resulted in a loss of sales of approximately £650m for every month that all stores were closed”.

Stores in England are set to reopen from Monday 15 June, the company said.

It stated that safety is its “highest priority” as it prepares to welcome customers and employees back to stores.

“Social distancing protocols, hand sanitiser stations, perspex screens at tills and additional cleaning of high frequency touch points in the store are among the measures we are implementing,” British Foods said.

“These measures are designed to safeguard the health and wellbeing of everyone in store and to instil confidence in the store environment.”

The firm added that in the case of stores that have already been reopened, feedback from customers and workers has been “positive”.

While Primark stores are scheduled to reopen mid-June in England, the date for the reopening of shops across the rest of the UK is yet to be announced.

British Foods stated that the date for the reopening of shops in England was determined “following the recent announcement by the UK government”.

“We await further guidance for the stores in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland and anticipate openings in late June,” it stated.

Boris Johnson recently announced that non-essential shops had been given the go-ahead to reopen in June, in an effort to help revive the economy.

Outdoor markets and car showrooms are allowed to resume operations from 1 June, while other forms of non-essential retail, including high street shops and department stores, can reopen from 15 June.

The prime minister said that the moves were “careful and deliberate steps on the road to rebuilding our country” and would be dependent on meeting the government’s five tests for gaining control over the disease.