'It's pronounced Pree-mark' as Hamilton store does fun rebrand to mark half-century

Daily Record

6 hours ago

The Hamilton shop, which was the first Primark in Scotland back in 1975, settled the debate over how to say its name during the celebration.
Scotland's first Primark store finally settled the debate over how to pronounce the name – with a fun rebrand to mark a half-century on our high streets.
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Shoppers will hardly believe it when they see how the firm had the final say on one of its biggest brand debates
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The retailer decided to celebrate 50 years of Primark in Scotland with a 'Preemark' rebrand, which has appeared overnight in all 21 of its stores north of the border.
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Primark opened its first Scottish store in Hamilton back in 1975 and the full 'Preemark' store takeover is now live there – along with Edinburgh Princes Street and Glasgow's Argyle Street – alongside fun 'Preemark' themed window activations in its remaining 18 Scottish stores up and down the country.
Scots can enjoy the retailer's significant milestone in every store until Sunday, August 24.
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Gavin O'Reilly, area manager for Primark Scotland West and Cumbria, who currently oversees Primark's store in Hamilton, said: 'Our loyal Scottish shoppers have been instrumental to our success over the last 50 years, so we thought it was high time we acknowledged it in true Primark style.
'It's a proud moment for all our stores to be celebrating our milestone together with a fun 'Preemark' nod, which is simply what we know our Scottish shoppers and colleagues are calling us every day anyway!'
This all came about after the retailer tried to settle the debate about how to pronounce its brand in an Instagram post that went viral earlier this year. The ongoing speculation ranges from how most people know it, 'Pr-EYE-mark', to 'Pr-AYE-mark' and the favoured Scottish 'Pr-EE-mark'.
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Today, Primark has 21 stores covering over 755,000 sq. ft of retail space across Scotland's much-loved towns, city centres and retail parks, and employs over 2637 retail colleagues nationally.
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.
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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 for Scottish shoppers, the retailer has produced a line of Scottish pyjamas, Edinburgh-themed t-shirts from £3 and more recently its Scotland Euros t-shirts.
From its first and smallest store in Hamilton at just 9300 sq. ft to the largest store on Edinburgh Princes Street, covering 73,900 sq. ft with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle, Primark has continued to grow in size and scale. Its in-store experience has evolved to now feature beauty studios, nail salons and a wide choice of destination cafes – including its popular cafés in Edinburgh and Braehead.
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Over the past three years, Primark has invested over £20 million in its stores which includes significant upgrades to stores in Clydebank, Hamilton, Stirling and Irvine so far this year. It has also introduced self-service checkouts and its Click & Collect service to all stores in Scotland.
Looking ahead, the retailer has confirmed it plans to invest a further £9 million in its Scottish stores over the next two years as it reaffirms its commitment to Scottish retail.
Kari Rodgers, UK retail director at 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.
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'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.'
Across the UK, Primark operates 197 stores, including 21 in Scotland, and employs 30,000 people.
Timeline of Primark's stores in Scotland
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August 1975 – Hamilton, 29 Quarry Street, ML3 7AW
June 1995 – Motherwell, 20-26 Brandon Place South, ML1 1RB
September 1999 – Clydebank, Unit 2, 117 Sylvania Way, G81 2RR
March 2001 – Stirling, Goosecroft Road, FK8 2EA
April 2001 – Braehead, Unit 1a, Braehead Shopping Centre, G51 4BS
May 2001 – Aberdeen, 152 Union Street, AB11 6BH
June 2001 – Dundee, 40 High Street, DD1 1TU
April 2002 – Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3ER
April 2003 – East Kilbride, Unit 4, Plaza Shopping Centre, G74 1LW
June 2006 – Ayr, Unit 8, Taran Walk, Kyle Street, KA7 1TU
September 2006 – Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8AG
October 2006 – Park Head, Glasgow, G31 4EB
October 2006 – Inverness, 16-18 Bridge Street, IV1 1HG
November 2006 – Greenock, Oak Mall Shopping Centre, PA15 1JW
December 2006 – Dunfermline, 127-137 High Street, KY12 7DR
March 2007 – Irvine, Unit 46, Rivergate Centre, KA12 8EH
November 2010 – Perth, 134-148 High Street, PH1 5UH
December 2011 – Livingston, The Centre, EH54 6HR
December 2011 – Edinburgh Princes Street, The Centre, EH54 6HR
December 2015 – Fort Kinnaird, The Centre, EH54 6HR
December 2024 – Glasgow Fort, G34 9DL
As Primark turns 50 on the Scottish high street, here's 10 things you may not know about the retailer.
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■ As of today, Primark operates over 755,000 sq. ft of retail space across Scottish high streets, shopping centres and retail parks. That's equivalent to 56 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
■ Primark is investing over £30 million in its Scottish stores between 2022 and 2027, including one new store opening (Glasgow Fort), five refits to upgrade existing stores and rolling out its popular Click & Collect service to all stores earlier this year.
■ Hamilton was the first Primark store to open in Scotland in August 1975.
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■ Primark has more than 2637 colleagues in Scotland, that's enough to form 239 football teams (not including substitutions).
■ Almost two in five colleagues (18 per cent) have worked for Primark in Scotland for 10 years or more, while the average length of service for a Primark colleague in Scotland being at least five years.
■ Primark's oldest colleague in Scotland is 80 years old and has worked in its Clydebank store for over 20 years.
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■ 15 per cent of Primark's Scottish store colleagues are aged 16-18, which is a fifth of its workforce in Scotland. Meanwhile, 10 per cent are aged over 55, with 126 colleagues aged 60 or over.
■ Despite having 197 stores across the UK, Hamilton remains the smallest Primark store at just 9300 sq. ft.
■ The most northernly Primark store in the world is located in Inverness, Scotland at latitude ~57.48° N.
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■ Occupying five floors and 74,000 sq ft, the Edinburgh Princes Street store is the biggest Primark in Scotland. It serves as a flagship destination, and many customers and colleagues say that it boasts the best views of Edinburgh Castle in the city.