Primark plans to reopen its shops in England from June 15. Sales at its recenretly reopened stores elsewhere have been encouraging”.
Primark stores globally started closing from 11 March, leading to that £650 million-a-month lost sales figure. The company cut costs to counteract these losses and also cancelled some forward orders but the key contributors to its reduction in overheads were the government employment retention schemes across Europe.
The company has been able to reopen 112 stores recently and now plans to open all its English stores with social distancing protocols and hygiene measures in place. Unlike some other retailers that are taking a phased approach, Primark is confident that it can handle this as it's learnt a lot from its European reopenings, although it’s waiting for further guidance for the stores in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland and anticipates openings in late June.
By 15 June, it will also open three new stores that were originally planned for earlier debuts. They include Mons in Belgium and Gropius in Berlin, Germany that have already opened, while a store in Manchester’s Trafford Centre in the UK will open on 15 June.
