First look inside new Primark in Bury St Edmunds ahead of opening day
SuffolkNews has been given a first look inside Bury St Edmunds’ highly-anticipated Primark ahead of its opening day.
The fashion retailer welcomes customers to the new 33,300 sq. ft store at 10am tomorrow at the arc Shopping Centre.
Located on the ground and first floors of the former Debenhams, Primark is to invest more than £6 million this year in the store which has employed 150 people.
Timothy Norton, store manager, said: “We’ve got 150 excited colleagues. There’s absolutely been a desire and a need to have a Primark here.
“And we’re super excited to bring the store here and it’s going to make a great addition to the high street and the community.
“We’ve got a fabulous team and we’re thrilled to see people come here. We can’t wait to get started and see those first customers walk through the doors. It’s a proud moment to lead the team of people we have. To get to this point is what makes me really proud.”
The new store has 27,000 different clothing items and is its third in East Anglia, joining Ipswich and Norwich.
It has five staff tills and 15 self-service tills.
Transformation works have been under way for more than a year with the inside remodelled, new doors fitted and signs installed.
The firm confirmed in November 2022 that it would open the branch in Bury.
It follows demand from shoppers in West Suffolk and the Primark for Bury St Edmunds Facebook group, which has thousands of members.
It’s set to be Primark’s 193rd store in the UK and will be the first to open since its Salisbury branch in September.
Mark Cordell, chief executive of Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District, said he was absolutely delighted that Primark, one of the top retailers in the UK, had chosen to open a store in the town.
“This decision will hopefully bring additional visitors to Bury and it is a great compliment that we continue to be seen as a great retail destination,” he said.
Mr Cordell said there were a number of reasons why Bury continued to thrive.
“These include the variety of offers and attractions we have here such as our history, the fabulous array of high quality independent shops mixed with top quality high street brands, our culture and entertainment venues, our outstanding hospitality businesses, which is the reason for our reputation as the foodie capital of Suffolk, the appearance of the town centre and how safe people feel visiting here,” he said.
“This combination enables us to promote the town as a great place to visit and hence our footfall levels being above pre Covid levels.”
Last night friends and family of staff were the first to shop in the new branch.
First in the queue were Daisy and Bianca Darcy-Jones, Stephanie Hales, Kirsty and Ruby Jackson and Brooke Pearson.
They were followed by Quitia and Ellis Greer and J-naya Fairley.
Primark Facts:
-The business was founded under the Penneys brand in Ireland by Arthur Ryan in 1969.
-It is Primark’s 50th anniversary in Great Britain this year after arriving in Derby in 1974.
-The fashion retailer has more than 80,000 employees worldwide, with over 30,000 of these situated in the UK.
-Of the 150 members of staff at the Bury St Edmunds store, they are made up of 11 different nationalities.
