To mark 50 years of Primark on Scotland’s high streets, the retailer is tipping its hat in celebration with a ‘Preemark’ rebrand, which has appeared in all 21 of its Scottish stores overnight, including its hugely popular Overgate store in Dundee.
The ‘Preemark’ rebrand can be seen as part of a fun window activation at the Overgate store.
Scots can enjoy the retailer’s significant milestone in every store until Sunday 24th August. The celebrations are a ‘wee nod’ to how most Scots pronounce the popular brand name as ‘Pr-EE-mark’.
This comes after the retailer tried to settle the debate about how to pronounce its brand in an Instagram post that went viral earlier this year. The ongoing speculation ranges from how most people know it, ‘Pr-EYE-mark’, to ‘Pr-AYE-mark’ and the favoured Scottish ‘Pr-EE-mark’.
Gavin O’Reilly, Area Manager for Primark Scotland West and Cumbria, said: “Our loyal Scottish shoppers have been instrumental to our success over the last 50 years, so we thought it was high time we acknowledged it in true Primark style. It’s a proud moment for all our stores to be celebrating our milestone together with a fun ‘Preemark’ nod, which is simply what we know our Scottish shoppers and colleagues are calling us every day anyway!”
Today, Primark has 21 stores covering over 755,000 sq. ft of retail space across Scotland’s much-loved towns, city centres and retail parks, and employs over 2,637 retail colleagues nationally.
From day one, Primark was a hit with Scottish shoppers who initially queued up for its “unbeatable” opening offers in its first store in Hamilton, during the summer of 1975, including women’s tweed coats for £9.50, printed crepe blouses for 99p and briefs for 25p. Across menswear, V-neck Shetland sweaters were sold for £2.85, poly-cotton shirts for 99p and socks for 23p. Children’s clothing highlights included slacks for 99p, ‘car coats’ for £1.99 and pinafore dresses for £1.65.
Over the years, some of its most popular products in Scotland include velour tracksuits - popular in the early 2000s – as well as a gold sequin dress and Saltire beach towels. Made exclusively for Scottish shoppers, the retailer has produced a line of Scottish pyjamas and more recently its Scotland Euros t-shirts.
Over the past three years, Primark has invested significantly across its stores, including the introduction of self-service checkouts and its popular Click & Collect service to all stores in Scotland, including Overgate. Now every Primark shopper can access the full range, ordering online and collecting more easily and conveniently from their local store in just two days. Looking ahead, the retailer has confirmed it plans to invest a further £9 million in its Scottish stores over the next two years as it reaffirms its commitment to Scottish retail.
Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director at Primark, said: “The high streets and fashions have changed a lot over five decades in Scotland, and Primark has been there every step of the way. As we’ve evolved to meet this change in demand, our commitment to offering people great quality clothing at affordable prices is stronger than ever. There is such pride in our stores in Scotland and our customers feel it too, so it’s fantastic to be celebrating such an important milestone together. Over the last three years we’ve invested more than £20 million in our stores across Scotland and we’ve a further £9 million planned over the next two years to improve our stores and support the future of Scottish retail.”
Across the UK, Primark operates 197 stores, including 21 in Scotland, and employs 30,000 colleagues. Meanwhile, 2.3 million people every week cite Primark as the main reason for visiting their local high street, and for every £10 spent in a Primark, shoppers spend an additional £3.60 which produces a positive economic ripple effect for local high streets*.
Overgate Dundee (Scot) (Freehold Co) Ltd
The Overgate Centre, Dundee is owned and managed by Legal & General, the largest commercial property company in the UK.
