Primark celebrates 50 years on the high street in Scotland

Primark is celebrating 50 years on the Scottish high street after first opening its doors in Hamilton, in 1975. The Hamilton store, which to this day retains the title of smallest Primark in the UK, will mark the occasion with celebrations in store for customers and colleagues.

From 21^st August, all 21 stores in Scotland have also had a special Scottish Primark makeover in homage to how the fashion retailer is referred to locally, with temporary ‘Preemark’ signs and window displays installed in celebration. This follows on from a social media debate earlier this year that showed Scots were widely known to pronounce the brand as ‘Pr-EE-mark’.

Over the last three years, Primark has invested more than £20 million across its Scottish stores, with a further £9 million planned over the next two years. This year alone, this has included upgrades to its stores in Clydebank, Hamilton, Stirling and Irvine, as well as the introduction of self-service checkouts and the national rollout of Click & Collect to all stores in Scotland. Last year the retailer opened its brand-new store in Glasgow Fort (33,500 sq ft), to queues of 1,000 eager shoppers in December 2024.

After first opening its doors in Hamilton, Scotland, back in August 1975, Primark currently operates 21 stores across Scotland’s towns, city centres and retail parks, employing over 2,637 retail colleagues mark its 50^th anniversary.

Half a century of Primark in Scotland

Opening first as Penneys, in Dublin in 1969, under the leadership of founder Arthur Ryan, the business moved across the pond to open its first store as Primark in Great Britain in Derby, 1974, before setting its sights on Scotland. The first Scottish store opened in Hamilton in August 1975, with the store remaining Primark’s smallest store in the UK at just 9,300 sq ft.

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.

The 90s saw green shoots of growth with two more store openings, first in Motherwell in 1995, followed by Clydebank in 1999. From 2001 there was a wave of new stores in quick succession across Stirling, Braehead, Aberdeen and Dundee, before Primark opened its first Glasgow store on Sauchiehall Street in 2002.

But it was in 2006 when it acquired Littlewoods, adding six new Primark stores in just over six months, that it became a regular fixture on Scottish high streets across major towns and cities. It was also the same year the retailer opened in Inverness to become the northernmost Primark in the world.

This also marked the time when Primark went from a retailer of men’s, women’s and children’s basics to begin developing a cult following amongst fashionistas.

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 available for Scottish shoppers the retailer has produced a line of Scottish pyjamas, Edinburgh-themed t-shirts from £3.00 and more recently its Scotland Euros T-shirts.

Reflecting on the milestone, Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director for 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.”

Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium said: “Primark’s 50^th birthday in Scotland marks a vote of confidence in Scotland’s high streets and retail destinations. We know vibrant and successful town and city centres depend on an interconnected eco-system comprising the full range of retail options from small independent retailers to national chains. Those larger businesses help drive footfall to those high streets as well as supporting the local community and providing vital employment. It’s vital Scotland continues to attract investment from businesses like Primark to ensure our high streets remain economically sustainable.”

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*.

*Source: Primark UK Impact Report 2024