Primark will continue to welcome shoppers to its town centre store after renewing its lease with intu Watford.

The shopping centre confirmed this morning that Primark will continue to trade in its current unit by Queens Road.

The high street retailer has said it is "happy" that its lease has been renewed and is "looking forward to continuing to welcome our customers back" following the coronavirus lockdown.

The news comes following a number of new openings at the centre, including that of luxury watch brand Tag Heuer in July and international retailer, Uniqlo.

Vicki Costello, general manager at intu Watford, said Primark’s decision to renew its contract with the shopping centre is “exciting news”.

“It is indicative of a steady increase in confidence as we adjust in the wake of the pandemic,” she said.

“Primark, which is an anchor for the centre, continues to be in good company – with a range of exciting, international retail brands also holding space. In July we welcomed luxury watch retailer Tag Heuer, for example, which is proving a popular addition.”

Watford Observer:

People queueing outside intu Watford after lockdown

Tom Meager, group director of property at Primark, added: “We’re happy to renew our lease at intu Watford, which is a prime retail space and important store for Primark in the UK. We look forward to continuing to welcome our customers back to our store and providing them with the quality, affordable products they love from Primark.

“Nothing matters more to us than the safety and well-being of our employees and customers, and we have put in place extensive measures to help people feel safe while shopping in our stores, such as a strict social distancing protocol, Perspex screens at open tills and hand sanitising stations at store entrances.”

According to intu Watford, 95 per cent of units at the shopping centre are back open and trading again following the lockdown.

A number of safety measures have been introduced into the centre, including limits on visitor numbers, mandatory wearing of face coverings, one-way systems, provision of hand sanitiser and enhanced cleaning regimes.

Mrs Costello added: “We’re carefully managing our centre as people return to the shops post-COVID-19 – something valued by our customers. We have a range of safety measures in place to ensure shoppers feel secure, and we’re ready to adapt quickly, as and when government advice changes.”

There's more good news at intu with Next Beauty opening its new store on the former Debenhams site tomorrow (Friday).

Meanwhile, the administrators for intu, KPMG, confirmed earlier this month that a deal had been done which secured the future of four intu shopping centres including Watford.

Creditors for intu SGS, which runs Watford, agreed to proposals to invest £30 million which will keep the four shopping centres open for the foreseeable future.

A spokesman for intu SGS said: "The proposals that we have agreed provide us with the stable financial platform to move forward as we continue to recover from the impact of Covid-19."

Three other intu centres in England have been taken over by new management, including Milton Keynes, Merry Hill in the West Midlands, and Derby.

intu, which runs 17 shopping centres, went into administration in June after failing to reach an agreement with lenders to pay off its huge debts of more than £4 billion.