Hundreds of shoppers queued outside the world's largest Primark in Birmingham city centre on Monday as it reopened its doors at 07:00 BST following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Antonietta Sagoe, from Smethwick, said she was 'very, very excited' to be in the queue. 'We have been planning to come here since last week so I think a lot of people have had the same idea as mine,' she said.
Ally Mitchell, from Sutton Coldfield, noted the impact on younger people: 'We have missed out on everything so we need to experience our summer to be honest.' Her friend Ellie Lloyd added: 'We just want normality back, just going here is like being back to normal.'
All non-essential shops in England were allowed to reopen from Monday under relaxed Covid-19 rules. Primark's flagship store, which opened in April 2019, spans 161,000 sq ft over five floors. The company said it would limit customer numbers and enforce social distancing.
Queues also formed outside Zara and Debenhams, the latter reopening to sell off stock before closing permanently. Diana Littlejohn, from Rugby, said it 'feels wonderful to be back out'.
Danny Law, co-owner of hair salon Strand and Lock, described the reopening as a 'third launch' for the business, which opened in November 2019. 'There is a little anxiety... but we're really, really pumped,' he said.
