Primark Is Planning To Extend Opening Hours For Christmas Shopping After Lockdown

Primark bosses have announced they are considering extending their opening hours after the second lockdown is eased.

The clothing store will be closing alongside all other non-essential shops, hospitality venues and pubs on Thursday 5^th November as England tightened restrictions in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus.

John Bason, finance chief of ABF (which owns Primark) has explained that he expects a "strong" demand when the shops are expected to reopen on Tuesday 2^nd December.

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"We are absolutely looking at longer opening hours," he told the PA news agency.

"Safety will be paramount and our teams have worked very well to deal with demand and ensure queue management so will continue to work hard to adapt to demand ahead of Christmas.

"We've seen very strong sales over the past few days and would expect similar today and tomorrow."

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Primark was forced to close during the first lockdown, which was first instigated by Boris Johnson in March. The closure was thought to have cost the company around £800 million.

The shop's bosses have previously warned that the latest lockdown regulations are expected to result in a £375million loss of sales ahead of the key Christmas period.

However, sales had started to recover for the retailer with sales of children's clothes, leisurewear and nightwear surpassing pre-Covid levels.

The second lockdown will see only supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential stores remain people.

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Overnight stays are now banned, households are not allowed to mix and travel has been discouraged.

People are being asked to work from home if possible, with only schools, nurseries and universities operating as usual.

But the second lockdown isn't as totalitarian as the first, with McDonald's reporting all drive-thrus, collections and takeaways will be operating as usual throughout lockdown.

The fast-food store is also offering 30 per cent off some of their beloved classics, including Big Macs, Chicken Legends and Quarter Pounders.

Topics: Primark, lockdown, Coronavirus, Covid-19

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

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