Primark celebrates 50 years on the high street in Scotland

The Hamilton store, which to this day retains the title of smallest Primark in the UK, will mark the occasion with celebrations in store for customers and colleagues.

To mark 50 years of Primark on Scotland’s high streets in style with both customers and colleagues, the retailer is tipping its (tartan) hat to celebrate with a ‘Preemark’ rebrand, which has appeared in all 21 of its Scottish stores from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th August 2025.

The full ‘Preemark’ store takeovers can be experienced in Hamilton, 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.

The celebrations are a ‘wee nod’ to how most Scots pronounce the popular brand name as ‘Pr-EE-mark’ rather than Primark. This comes after Primark 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’.

Gavin O’Reilly, Area Manager for Primark Scotland West and Cumbria, who currently oversees Primark’s first store in Hamilton, Scotland, 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!”

Half a century of Primark in Scotland

Opening first as Penneys, in Dublin in 1969, under the leadership of founder Arthur Ryan, the business moved across the pond to open its first store as Primark in Great Britain in Derby, 1974, before setting its sights on Scotland. The first Scottish store opened in Hamilton in August 1975, with the store remaining Primark’s smallest store in the UK at just 9,300 sq. ft.

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.

The 90s saw green shoots of growth with two more store openings, first in Motherwell in 1995, followed by Clydebank in 1999. From 2001 there was a wave of new stores in quick succession across Stirling, Braehead, Aberdeen and Dundee, before Primark opened its first Glasgow store on Sauchiehall Street in 2002.

But it was in 2006 when it acquired Littlewoods, adding six new Primark stores in just over six months, that it became a regular fixture on Scottish high streets across major towns and cities. It was also the same year the retailer opened in Inverness to become the northernmost Primark in the world.

This also marked the time when Primark went from a retailer of men’s, women’s and children’s basics to begin developing a cult following amongst fashionistas.

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 available for Scottish shoppers the retailer has produced a line of Scottish pyjamas, Edinburgh-themed t-shirts from £3.00 and more recently its Scotland Euros T-shirts.

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 popular Click & Collect service to all stores in Scotland. Now every Primark shopper can access the full range, ordering online and collecting more easily and conveniently from their local store in just two days. 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. 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 colleagues. Meanwhile, 2.3 million people every week cite Primark as the main reason for visiting their local high street, and for every £10 spent in a Primark, shoppers spend an additional £3.60 which produces a positive economic ripple effect for local high streets*.

*Source: Primark UK Impact Report 2024

Timeline of Primark’s stores in Scotland

1. August 1975 – Hamilton, 29 Quarry Street, ML3 7AW

2. June 1995 – Motherwell, 20-26 Brandon Place South, ML1 1RB

3. September 1999 – Clydebank, Unit 2, 117 Sylvania Way, G81 2RR

4. March 2001 – Stirling, Goosecroft Road, FK8 2EA

5. April 2001 – Braehead, Unit 1a, Braehead Shopping Centre, G51 4BS

6. May 2001 – Aberdeen, 152 Union Street, AB11 6BH

7. June 2001 – Dundee, 40 High Street, DD1 1TU

8. April 2002 – Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3ER

9. April 2003 – East Kilbride, Unit 4, Plaza Shopping Centre, G74 1LW

10. June 2006 – Ayr, Unit 8, Taran Walk, Kyle Street, KA7 1TU

11. September 2006 – Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8AG

12. October 2006 – Park Head, Glasgow, G31 4EB

13. October 2006 – Inverness, 16-18 Bridge Street, IV1 1HG

14. November 2006 – Greenock, Oak Mall Shopping Centre, PA15 1JW

15. December 2006 – Dunfermline, 127-137 High Street, KY12 7DR

16. March 2007 – Irvine, Unit 46, Rivergate Centre, KA12 8EH

17. November 2010 – Perth, 134-148 High Street, PH1 5UH

18. December 2011 – Livingston, The Centre, EH54 6HR

19. December 2011 – Edinburgh Princes Street, The Centre, EH54 6HR

20. December 2015 – Fort Kinnaird, The Centre, EH54 6HR

21. December 2024 – Glasgow Fort, G34 9DL