Primark is ‘preparing to reopen’ its UK stores

Senior staff at Primark have reportedly returned to work to prepare for reopening once government restrictions are lifted. 

The senior staff, including store managers and assistant managers, have been spending time in stores across the UK since the end of last week, Drapers has reported. 

According to Drapers, workers have been completing administrative tasks necessary for an eventual reopening when government guidelines permit and when the necessary safety measures are in place. 

A spokesperson for Primark told Drapers: “Nothing matters more to us than the health and wellbeing of our employees and customers.

“That is why we will only re-open our stores in the UK once we are convinced that it is safe and right to do so. We are closely following all safety advice from government and will treat this as the minimum standard across all our stores.”

Primark’s senior staff have been working from home on a 20% wage reduction since March, when the stores closed across the country. 

Reportedly, Primark has been listing down the value of its stock by £284m to reflect realistic prices when the stores reopen, which could mean a huge sale. 

Primark have also reportedly ‘taken delivery of very large amounts of completed stock’, paying ‘in full’ for this stock that they cannot yet sell.

They have also ensured that ‘everyone in a vulnerable country who worked on a Primark garment, whether completed or not, is paid for the work’.

Following the government announcement yesterday, the reopening of retail shops has not yet been confirmed. However, the British Retail Consortium chief executive, Helen Dickinson has called for the government to allow the retailers themselves to decide when they are ready to reopen.