// Primark senior store staff have returned to stores to begin reopening stores
// The retailer is waiting for the coronavirus lockdown to be lifted
Primark staff have reportedly returned to stores across the UK in an effort to prepare them for reopening once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.
Over the past few days, Primark’s store and assistant managers have spent time completing administrative tasks necessary for an eventual reopening, Drapers reported.
The fast fashion retailer said it will only reopen when government guidelines permit, and with the necessary safety measures.
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Primark also said it is prioritising the health and wellbeing of its employees and customers, which is why it is waiting for government guidance.
The retailer closed its stores in March, and senior store staff have been working from home with a 20 per cent pay reduction.
Primark’s owner AB Foods announced last month that it has written down the value of its stock by £284 million to reflect realistic pricing when stores reopen.
”When we are allowed to reopen we must make our Primark stores safe for our staff and our customers, even if that means ensuring there are fewer people shopping at any one time and so accepting lower sales at least until the remaining risk is minimal,” AB Foods chief executive George Weston said at the time.
“In time we can rebuild the profits. We can’t replace the people we lose. One of the world’s great clothing retailers is entirely shut.
“We have paid for in full, and taken delivery of, very large amounts of completed stock which we can’t sell for now and we have established a fund that will ensure everyone in a vulnerable country who worked on a Primark garment, whether completed or not, is paid for that work.
“And we are supporting suppliers with commitments to buy garments that are as yet unfinished. But not until shops reopen and we can place new orders, will the economic hardship that Covid-19 has caused to all those in our supply chain begin to reduce.”
Boris Johnson is due to announce an update on lockdown restrictions this Sunday.
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