OUR favourite high street shop has been on British soil for 50 years, but which stores are a cut above the rest?
Here six Primark superfans visit the branches rated the best in Britain by Fabulous readers and share their reviews with Clemmie Fieldsend.
High Street, Birmingham
‘Better than Centreparcs’
7
Heather Main, 39, a married mum of two from Worcester, says: “This is the UK’s biggest Primark at 160,000 sq foot over five floors and has three places to eat, including a Greggs. I wonder if I should cancel my family trip to Centre Parcs and spend half term here instead.
“As I meander through the store, voted the best in the UK by Fab Daily readers, I am amazed to see every collaboration collection is fully stocked, unlike in my local branch in Worcester. My favourite section, the womenswear, is laid out over two floors and the clothes are neatly arranged.
“The beauty section of the store is epic too and offered a variety of in-store treatments. If I’d had more time I’d have loved to stop and get my eyebrows done .”
Banbury Gateway Shopping
‘Fantastic flower shop’
7
MARRIED mum of two Rachel Tompkins, 44, from Bicester, says: “I’ve been after some Rita Ora knits so I was delighted to see them right by the door when I arrived at Banbury Primark.
“Though only two storeys high, I was impressed by the organisation – but sadly, there wasn’t much left in the celeb collab jumper section.
“The women’s section had lots of lovely coats and dresses, and there were reduced items on rails, but they were a bit messy. The changing cubicles were clean and airy.
“I was blown away by the home section, which had a huge array of homeware. My highlight was the flower shop – a stall of artificial plants and flowers. I hope they open a cafe – then I’ll go for a whole day.”
Broadmead, Bristol
‘Great designer dupes’
7
HELEN O’BRIEN, 45, from Bristol, says: “Walking into Bristol Primark, I was impressed. It was spacious, clean and tidy – even the fitting rooms were zen.
“I was drawn to the Nike Dunks dupes and a silver sparkly minidress.
“There’s a state-of-the-art and reasonably priced beauty bar, too. Eyebrow threading was £8.
“The excellent Wornwell concession sells pre-loved clothes from quality brands like Adidas, Levi’s and North Face.
“On the down side, none of the nine tills on the top floor were in operation. I queued for 11 minutes at a till on a lower floor and one customer was shouting for more staff to come. Aside from the long queues, it was a relaxed shopping experience.”
Monks Cross, York
‘Super stocking fillers’
7
MARRIED mum-of-two Alex Lloyd, 43, from York, says: “Mums will love this out-of-town store and not just for the roomy lifts.
“The first floor has a vast kids’ section, with plenty of each size and brands such as Disney and Minecraft.
“There’s an ace toy section, perfect for pocket money and stocking fillers, while the homes section is wall-to-wall seasonal specials.
“The two-storey store is tidy and well-stocked, while the changing rooms are clean and offer male, female and unisex areas. Crucially, the curtains stretched right across, with no gaps.
“The ground floor, which is devoted to womenswear, has its new Paula Echevarria line taking centre stage, while the Rita Ora range is spread around.”
Ventura Retail Park, Tamworth
‘Calm, clean experience’
7
KATY-ROSE MEANEY, 38, a mum-of-three from Wolverhampton, says: “Although it is much smaller than many stores, I can see why it was voted in the top six. It is bright and airy, really clean and well organised over two floors – a refreshing change from the chaos of larger ones and makes for a more relaxed shopping experience.
“The downside of a smaller store is less choice – I struggled to find a decent date-night lingerie set.
“But with seven staffed tills on the top floor, the short queue in front of me disappeared quickly and every staff member was polite, friendly and happy to help.
“Sadly, the store isn’t big enough for a themed café, nail bar, salon or dining experience.”
Broadgate, Coventry
‘Points for pre-loved’
7
LINDA AITCHISON, 56, a mum-of-two from Wolverhampton, says: “I love Primark as much as anyone, but I was blown away by Broadgate.
“The 60,000 sq ft, three-storey shop is light and airy.
“I’m not the world’s best when it comes to recycling, but it was great to see a pre-loved clothing collection point by the door where all you have to do is drop off your old stuff.
“While the women’s and kids’ sections are currently packed with vibrant colours, festive fun and sparkle, the men’s selection seemed lacklustre with rows of grey and black attire.
“But Britpop fans could be ‘mad for it’ with the choice of men’s anoraks that look just right to celebrate the Oasis reunion.”