Primark is back! And extending its opening hours by two hours this week

We've missed you!

Primark will be extending its opening times by two hours in many of its stores from 7am to 10pm this week to avoid crowding in stores.

Related: The 5 Primark homeware buys we can't wait to shop when stores open on Monday

The high street giant has been one of the many non-essential stores that were shuttered for three months during the last lockdown. Fans couldn't wait to return to the store this morning when the Prime Minister gave the green light for non-essential retailers to reopen.

When does Primark open?

room with white wall and arm chair and wooden floor

(Image credit: Primark)

The pent up Primark demand appears to be huge as shoppers began queuing at 7 am to get into the Primark flagship stores in London's Oxford Street and Birmingham. To help cope with the huge number of Primark shoppers flocking to the stores, Primark like many other high street stores has extended its opening hours.

Most Primark store will open from 7 am to 10 pm. However, some outlets, including Birmingham and West Thurrock in Essex, opened as early as 6 am this morning.

Which Primark stores are extending opening hours?

Primark has said it will extend opening hours across all 160 England and Wales stores apart from one in Newcastle to spread demand and help customers shop safely. The extended opening hours will vary from store to store so you will need to check at your local Primark using Primark's shop locator tool for the updated times.

primark store with glass door and people

(Image credit: Mike Hewitt / Getty)

The only store not extending its opening hours is located in Newcastle but will be open from 8am until 8 pm.

'It’s great to be back,' Paul Marchant, CEO of Primark told the BBC. 'Our stores are fully stocked with fresh new season fashion, all at Primark’s famous amazing prices.'

'Between our great value, everyday must-haves and hot new season trend collections, we’ve got everything our customers have been waiting for,' he adds.

Related: Budget Primark towels win rave reviews from shoppers – and industry experts

'We have been working really hard to get our stores ready to open safely; we are fully stocked with everything our customers have been waiting for. We ask our customers to continue supporting us and be mindful of our in-store measures, in particular, if queuing outside and in-store.'

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.