Primark is in the bag for Scottish capital with new store

Primark Is In The Bag For Scotland’s Capital

Primark Edinburgh Media Coverage

by Laura Berry, Thursday, August 26th, 2010

The Guardian's weekly blog post, which features the capitals latest news and events has focused an entry on the flagship store's successful planning permission bid, reflecting on the benefits it will bring to the city.

Primark bags a PR Scotland bargain with coverage in The Guardian’s online blog

LOCATED ON Princes Street, the multi million development will provide 75,000 square feet of retail space, making it a safe haven for shoppers from all over Scotland – Scottish PR

Work is due to start on the site at the beginning of September and looks set to be completed by December 2011. The site will undergo a complete demolition and reconfiguration of the internal foundations – in keeping with the historic nature of the surrounding area.

The new store will have an unprecedentedly positive impact on the economy of the city – making Princes Street attractive once more to larger retailers. The store will also create numerous construction and retail jobs, providing a boost to Edinburgh’s employment rates.

The following media coverage was generated for the store’s opening:

7 items of valuable coverage across print and onlines
Specialist coverage in Build Scotland, Edinburgh Architecture and Urban Realm
Coverage in national title, The Scotsman
Local coverage in regional publications, The Guardian Edinburgh and The Edinburgh Evening News

Tom Buchanan City of Edinburgh Council’s economic development officer quotes in the article: “Not only will this development provide a welcome boost to our retail offering, but it will also create a great many jobs during these difficult times.

“Like us, Primark recognises the tremendous potential of Princes Street as a shopping destination and I look forward to the development progressing to the next stage.”

“We are continuing to work closely with Primark to help them realise their ambitions to open a flagship store here in the centre of Scotland’s capital.”

A spokesperson for Primark adds: “We have wanted to open a flagship store in Edinburgh for some time, so it is very pleasing to see the development taking the next step into becoming a reality.

“I would like to take this oppurtunity to thank all the people who responded during the public consultation and made their views about the building known on the website.

“There was a good level of support for the building, but we have also taken on board a number of comments and shaped our final proposals according to this feedback.”

As part of the construction and planning permission process, Primark set up a consultation website, which attracted over 7,000 people.

The website was regularly monitored by the Holyrood PR as part of a stakeholder engagement campaign and it provided a platform for members of the public to express their views and learn more about the coming store.