New Primark Bristol superstore will create 500 jobs
Wednesday, 1st July 2009
Bristol's new Primark store will create 500 jobs when it opens in the old House of Fraser building in August. The discount fashion chain has started recruiting staff for its new four-storey shop in Broadmead, which will become the clothing giant's second biggest UK store.
Staff from the current smaller store in The Horsefair are set to move to the new store but hundreds more people will be needed to staff the shop. A total of 495 people will be needed for roles including department managers, supervisors, shop floor assistants and cash office and stockroom workers. Full and part-time positions are available as well as weekend and evening shifts. It is the largest number of jobs to be created by a single retailer in Bristol.
Broadmead manager John Hirst said it is the best thing to happen to the city since the decision to open Cabot Circus. He believes Primark's arrival in Broadmead will regenerate the area and lead to other businesses setting up.
Mr Hirst said: "This is absolutely brilliant news. "It is not just about the jobs, this is also about having Primark opening their second largest store in the UK in Bristol – it is going to be a massive attraction for Bristol. "It will bring people from all across the region to this Mecca of retailing – it is just superb. It's the best thing to happen to Bristol since the decision to open Cabot Circus. So many people will get a fantastic surprise when they see the store. We must stop thinking about the existing store and start thinking about this new emporium coming to the western end of Broadmead, which is in dire need of improvement."
"I really don't think we can do any better than Primark – it is just fantastic news, I am very excited about it. It will be the catalyst that is going to lead to a domino effect that will make other things happen in the area around Union Street and the arcade. It is going to be a massive regeneration tool for us and we are going to work with Primark to maximise the opportunity and get other businesses in because of it. People think they don't like Primark but when they go in they are going to love it. There is menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, homeware and cosmetics. It really is like a department store. It will exceed people's expectations tenfold."
The new Primark store is still being fitted out but interviews will begin next month.
The discount fashion chain, which became known for its super-cheap clothes long before the arrival of the credit crunch, now has 188 stores following a sharp expansion in the UK and Spain in recent years, employing a total of 27,500 people.
The new Bristol store is one of seven opening this year, which will bring the total in the UK to 143.
Primark spokeswoman Hannah Seward said: "We are delighted to be opening a new, large store in this significant city."
In Dublin, where the chain was founded in 1969, Primark stores are called Penneys. By 1973, the number of stores had reached 18 in Ireland and Primark began trading in Great Britain with four out-of-town stores. The following year saw the opening of the first UK High Street stores, including one in Bristol. In 2000, as C&A left the UK, Primark acquired 11 of their stores, including one in Broadmead, which was later demolished to make way for Cabot Circus. In May 2006, Primark opened its first store in Spain and it also has stores in Holland and Portugal. The opening of a 70,000 sq ft store on London's Oxford Street hit the headlines when thousands of shoppers crammed into the shop.
