Primark to reopen in Belfast city centre on December 8 with plans for a second store

Our Christmas pyjama shopping has been saved! Mr McCann was starting to worry that Santa would not bring his fluffy Christmas pyjamas with matching socks!!

PRIMARK has confirmed it will re-open in Belfast city centre on December 8 - with plans for a second store early next year. The fashion chain said it was planning to open the multi-million extension at its flagship Bank Buildings store in Royal Avenue in just over four weeks.

The main building was completely gutted in a fire at the site in August as the the store was preparing to open the new extension, which was saved in the blaze. The extension at Commonwealth House, will officially open to shoppers on Saturday, December 8 in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The company also confirmed yesterday that it is also hoping to open a new store at Fountain House at Donegall Place in the Spring when current tenants New Look move. A spokesman for the company said: "Primark is committed to Belfast and we announced recently that we plan to open a store in Commonwealth House in December.  "In addition, we are hoping to open a new store in Fountain House in Spring 2019. We will share more details in due course".

SDLP Councillor Tim Attwood welcomed the news that Primark will reopen within weeks.
"The SDLP are delighted that Primark will begin trading again in the mouth of the Christmas period," he said.
"This news is an extremely welcome development for the city and especially for the Primark staff who have been commuting to other stores across Northern Ireland since the blaze destroyed the Bank Buildings, which was home to Primark's flagship Belfast store, at the end of August.
"Belfast City Council will continue to support businesses in the city centre after the devastation caused by the Primark blaze".

Meanwhile, a cordon which was erected around Bank Buildings in the aftermath of the fire will remain in place while part of Royal Avenue cordoned off will also remain closed. Last month, Primark revealed it had agreed "a walkway solution with the council to open up Royal Avenue" adding that work had already started and "it should be in place in a matter of weeks".
The chain was granted permission to begin conservation-led works to take down the top two floors of its gutted city centre store after the council's planning committee approved a listed building consent application.

Source Irish News