Primark set to reopen all English stores on 15 June
High-street stalwart Primark is seeking to reopen all of its 153 stores in England by 15 June, its owner Associated British Foods said today.
The announcement came after the UK government reiterated its “roadmap” for reopening the economy. It said non-essential retailers can open from the middle of this month after a lengthy period of lockdown, provided infections stay under control.
Global retail chain Primark, well-known for its cheap clothes, is currently running at just 34 per cent of its full capacity.
But Associated British Foods (ABF) said today that it is working towards reopening all of its stores in England in two weeks’ time. This would take the number of open stores to 281, representing 79 percent of total selling space.
ABF did not give a date for when it hopes to have reopened all of its 378 stores across Europe and the US.
Lockdowns hit Primark
The bulk of Primark’s stores are in the UK, and it has been hit hard by the lockdown measures that came into force in March. Primark shuttered all of its stores around the world for 12 days from 11 March, costing it around £200m.
Yet the retailer managed to cut its overhead costs by more than 50 per cent. It did this chiefly by using government employment retention schemes across Europe, which have stepped in to pay workers’ wages. It also reduced staff salaries.
In a statement today, Primark’s owner said things had picked up since lockdowns were eased across Europe.
“Trading in our re-opened stores has been both reassuring and encouraging, with customer queues outside most stores and, once in store, spending on larger basket sizes,” ABF said.
“However, the trading results since re-opening were delivered over a very short period, will have been influenced by a number of specific factors, and may not be indicative of a long term pattern.”
ABF is set to release a trading update in a month’s time that will indicated Primark’s performance.