Belfast’s Primark store to reopen this year after it was destroyed by fire

The existing Castle Street store will be combined with the restored building.

Primark, an Irish multinational fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, is preparing to open its flagship store in Belfast after completing an extensive renovation of the building. 

A fire in the historic Castle Street building broke out in 2018, destroying much of the building. The company made the difficult decision to rebuild the property, which was built in 1787 and is considered a national treasure. 

As part of the renovation, to be completed by the end of 2022, the existing Castle Street store will be combined with the restored building. Monostore’s retail space will grow by 75 percent.
 
Primark will additionally open a new department on the new fifth floor of the building, which will feature home goods. In addition, the flagship will be filled with a Disney branded cafe and a beauty and manicure studio. 

“We have put our heart and soul into retaining, conserving and restoring this much-loved historical building. We are nearly there with this re-development, and we cannot wait to finally re-open the doors and welcome our customers and our colleagues back into our Bank Buildings store.” commented Primark CEO Paul Marchant. 

For Primark, the opening of the famous Bank Buildings store will not be the only expansion in Northern Ireland this year. The retailer is also preparing to open a new store in the Rushmere shopping center in Craigavon in the fourth quarter.