Ever found yourself wishing you could go to Primark any time of the day? Well, be careful what you wish for – because you just might get it. Potentially making a huge shake up in the run up to Christmas following the second national lockdown, the popular retailer is currently considering around-the-clock opening hours – allowing customers to conveniently do their shopping whenever it suits.
And while the new opening hours are currently not confirmed – with no indication which stores if would affect – the move would allow the store to be as COVID-safe as possible, reducing congestion (particularly in the later hours of the day when people shop after work).
Primark is set to make a £375m loss as a result of the November lockdown, with recent reports revealing that the business had told investors they’d lost £800m as a result of the longer lockdown earlier this year. The extended opening hours would not only benefit customers, who’ll likely be keen to get back to normal life after the last-minute lockdown measures were announced just last weekend, but also allow the business to recover some lost income from early Christmas shoppers in November.
Speaking of the potential change, CEO of Associated British Foods (owners of Primark), George Weston said: “24-hour trading should be possible in some locations to help enable social distancing”
Adding: “It would be great if, for the time they do allow us to trade, they allow us extended hours through to Christmas. That would allow more people through stores safely. It would allow more shoppers to do their Christmas shopping on the high street and us to sell through some of our stocks we have in stores and depots.”
Huge queues were seen at Primark stores across the country back in the summer when non-essential stores were permitted to re-open, with many relying on the store for pocket-friendly clothing and accessories – particularly for children.
[Featured image: Geograph.org.uk/Alex McGregor]
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