In a matter of weeks, the world's biggest Primark store will open in Birmingham, complete with five floors, three restaurants and even a beauty studio.
Set to open on April 11, the gigantic 160,000 square foot site will have almost 1000 employees, free WiFi and its own personal shopping service.
It will take over from Manchester as the UK's biggest Primark, which has a 155,000 sq ft store in Market Street.
Birmingham’s new Primark will boast a full-blown beauty salon, where shoppers can have their eyelashes, eyebrows, nails and makeup done.
The move is the latest in a series from the retailer as it makes efforts to establish itself in the beauty space. In February Primark launched a super successful, affordable skincare range with beauty industry veteran Alex Steinherr, and just this week Chelsea salon Duck & Dry opened an express blow dry bar in its Oxford Street flagship store.
The beauty expansion is part of a wider initiative for the fast fashion retailer to be seen as a likeable, lifestyle brand that appeals to millennial consumers.
To the same end, Primark this week installed gender neutral changing rooms at its giant new store at the Bluewater mall near Gravesend, Kent, and a new store at Hastings, East Sussex.
The move has been praised by many, but has also caused significant debate on social media.
Some customers have even been so outraged that they are threatening to boycott the store completely.
Topshop, owned by billionaire Sir Philip Green, triggered a similar debate after announcing all its changing rooms would be gender neutral in 2017.
Primark, owned by Associated British Foods, said it had introduced “non-gendered fitting rooms to improve the customer experience” at the two stores but those at its other 195 UK shops continue to be labelled male and female.
Some European branches of Primark already have gender neutral dressing rooms.
