Primark's flagship Belfast store is to reopen in time for Christmas, four years after the devastating fire which gutted the building.
The company said the five-floor retail space will open in the first week of November with the store being 76 per cent bigger than the old Primark.
The existing store on Castle Street will merge with the restored Bank Buildings site to create the new larger store. As part of this, the smaller Primark store at Fountain House, Donegall Place will close in the days before the Bank Buildings re-opening, with all employees transferring to the new store.
Paul Marchant, Primark CEO, said: “We want to thank the people of Belfast for their ongoing support and patience whilst we undertook the extensive re-building works at our iconic Bank Buildings site. We recognise how much the business community and wider city of Belfast has been affected by the devastating fire at our store back in 2018."
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tina Black, said; “This is a major investment in Belfast city centre after a challenging time for our local economy. The devastating fire at Bank Buildings in 2018 was a turning point for our city; it acted as a springboard in bringing elected members and city partners together to examine and trial new ideas and concepts to support recovery and regeneration and increase what the city centre has to offer. Many of these projects have now been incorporated into our Future City Centre programme.
Belfast Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Simon Hamilton said, “This is really positive news for Belfast and will provide our city centre with a much needed boost. Primark is an exceptionally popular store that drives footfall into Belfast from far and wide and its loss after the fire nearly four years ago was acutely felt across the city centre."
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “Without a doubt this reopening will be a much-needed boost for the city centre and its traders. This store was always a huge footfall driver for our members in Royal Avenue and the city centre as a whole.
‘Whilst the city centre is experiencing serious challenges at present, its future has huge potential to be a fun, family friendly destination with a dynamic retail and hospitality offering”
