Christmas shoppers queued outside in the rain on Thursday (December 8) to await the opening of York’s second Primark.
Found in the Coppergate Centre, in the extended and remodelled unit which previously housed Marks and Spencer, the branch was Primark’s 175th top open in the UK – and its 326th worldwide.
In scenes reminiscent of the opening of the Monks Cross branch in May, staff led by store manager Adam Smith gathered by the front doors to greet their first customers.
With 35,200 sq ft of retail space it is a big store, although not the same scale as its 57,600 sq ft Monks Cross sister.
But the Irish-based company’s commitment to York city centre shopping, as well as out-of-town, has been welcomed by retail leaders.
Coppergate Primark is laid out to a new design, which includes seated areas on the shop floor complete with free wi-fi and charging points for mobile devices.
After the speeches and the ribbon cutting, the first eager shoppers were cheered in by staff waving blue balloons and foam hands. Then it was down to the serious business of bargain hunting.
Simon Gibbs, UK director of sales for Primark, said:
This is an important opening for Primark and we look forward to expanding our footprint and bringing the Primark brand to more customers.
