Landmark Belfast Primark store reopens after devastating fire

The reopening of the landmark Primark store at the Bank Buildings in Belfast will take place on Tuesday following the August 2018 fire that gutted the interior of the listed building and left the feature facade badly damaged.

The building had been undergoing a refurbishment when a fire broke out and lasted for four days, with more than 100 firefighters required to tackle the blaze. An investigation by the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service subsequently found the cause to be accidental.

The Bank Buildings, which was taken over by Primark in 1979, was designed by WH Lynn and opened in 1903. The store was the third business on the site. The first was Cunningham’s Bank which dated back to 1787 but went bust in 1798.

[ ‘This store means so much’: Primark reopening prompts party atmosphere in Belfast ]

The refurbished store represents an investment of £100 million (€116 million). The retailer said it has created almost 300 additional jobs at the new store, although some of these are temporary seasonal positions. It brings the total number of employees the store to 500.

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All the stone and marble on the building’s new facade was sourced from quarries in Finland, Scotland and Portugal, the same quarries from where the materials for the original structure were sourced in the 18th century.

The store has now merged with the existing Castle Street shop to create a new flagship retail unit, which is 76 per cent bigger in size compared to the original site. The store features 88,200 sq ft of retail space, including a new Disney experience.

The shop will also feature a nail and beauty studio, operated by Nails, and a fifth floor space for its home department offering bedding and small furniture to customers in Belfast for the first time.

Primark also recently confirmed details of the opening of its new store in Rushmere Shopping Centre, Craigavon, which will open on December 16th. It will be the retailer’s ninth store in Northern Ireland. Primark trades as Penneys in the Republic.