Stockport Primark among sites to benefit from £100 million investment in stores

Clothing retail giant, Primark, has announced it will invest £100 million in stores throughout 2024, with its Stockport branch in the Merseyway Shopping Centre set to be among those benefiting.

The investment, which includes £75 million of newly announced investment, comes as the retailer marks 50 years on the high street, and builds on plans first announced in 2022.

Alongside the Stockport store, Primark has also announced investments into three other North-west sites – Birkenhead, Bury and Southport – with 15 stores to be refit nationwide during 2024. Three new UK stores are also planned for the retailer, alongside major extensions to sites in London’s  Westfield Stratford and in Gateshead, Tyneside.

Primark is set to reach 195 stores and almost 8 million sq. ft of selling space by the end of the year. The new stores and significant extensions will result in almost 700 new jobs across these stores this year, ranging from retail assistants to store manager positions. The retailer now has ambitions to reach 530 stores across its markets by the end of 2026.

Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director at Primark said:

“We’ve changed a lot in the fifty years since we opened the doors on our first store in Great Britain in Derby back in 1974, but at our heart, we are still the same. We’re as committed as ever to offering the very best value on the high street and making great fashion more affordable and accessible for everyone. This latest investment will mean bigger and better stores, hundreds of new jobs across the country and shows our ongoing commitment to the UK high street.”

Since the retailer first opened the doors to its Derby store back in September 1974, Primark has expanded nationwide and made its mark on the high street. Today, the retailer employs more than 30,000 people in the UK and has 192 stores across the nation’s cities and town centres, as well as shopping centres and retail parks.