Telford's Primark store to be extended in £100 million UK-wide drive

The fashion chain said its Telford Centre branch is one of 15 of its stores that it plans to extend as the national chain celebrates 50 years on the high street.

This year Primark will open brand new stores in Bury St. Edmunds, as well as Teesside Park and Glasgow Fort. Alongside these, the retail giant said it will launch one of its biggest ever store extensions across the country.

London’s Westfield Stratford store will almost double in size to more than 81,000sq. ft to become the second largest Primark in the capital. Looking to the north, Metrocentre in Gateshead, Tyneside, will grow to almost 80,000sq. ft of total shopping space once reopened later this year.

Meanwhile, The Telford Centre store is also set to get a revamp and extension, Primark said.

Following the new store locations and extensions, Primark said it is set to reach 195 stores and almost 8 million sq. ft of selling space by the end of the year.

The new stores and significant extensions will result in almost 700 new jobs across these stores this year, ranging from retail assistants to store manager positions.

Kari Rodgers, UK retail director at Primark said: “We’ve changed a lot in the 50 years since we opened the doors on our first store in Great Britain in Derby back in 1974, but at our heart, we are still the same.

"We’re as committed as ever to offering the very best value on the high street and making great fashion more affordable and accessible for everyone. This latest investment will mean bigger and better stores, hundreds of new jobs across the country and shows our ongoing commitment to the UK high street.”

A full list of Primark’s UK stores included in the refit programme this year are:

• Oxford Street East, 14-28 Oxford Street, Fitzrovia, London W1D 1AU

• Bury, The Rock Shopping Centre, South Street, Bury BL9 0ND

• Cwmbran Shopping Centre, General Rees Square, Cwmbran NP44 1AH

• Southport, 1 Chapel Street, Southport PR8 1AE

• Yeovil, 19 Middle Street, Yeovil BA20 1LF

• Barnstaple, 49 - 52 High Street, Barnstaple EX31 1BZ

• Hackney, 365 - 371 Mare Street, London E8 1HY

• Newry, Unit 55 Buttercrane Shopping Centre, Newry BT35 8HJ

• Birkenhead, 212 - 218 Grange Road, Birkenhead CH41 6EA

• Hounslow, 165 - 169 High Street, Hounslow TW3 1QL

• Chelmsford, 9 High Chelmer, Chelmsford CM1 1XL

• Stockport, Chestergate, Stockport SK1 1NT

• Telford, 208 Dean Street, The Telford Centre, Telford TF3 4AP

• Chester, 52-60 Foregate St, Chester CH1 1HA

• Cambridge, 62-74 Burleigh St, Cambridge CB1 1DJ