A UNIONIST councillor has written to clothing giant Primark telling it to stock coronation-themed merchandise in his area.
Despite the firm having a long-standing policy against stocking politicised products in its Northern Irish stores, DUP councillor Paul Porter has complained about the lack of “vital” King Charles III stock to its chief executive.
The representative for Lisburn South, which is southwest of Belfast, said: “After receiving complaints from constituents that Primark is failing to provide the same products available in Great Britain in Northern Ireland to celebrate the coronation, I have contacted the chief executive and issued the following letter.”
Porter also put out a tweet on April 29, featuring a photograph of himself and the question: "Where are Coronation items in NI Primark stores?"
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— Paul Porter (@cllrpaulporter) April 29, 2023
His letter reads: “I am writing on behalf of my constituents who are seeking clarity as to when Primark stores in Northern Ireland will be stocking your coronation theme merchandise, which is currently available in GB-based stores.
“As you will appreciate, the coronation is being eagerly anticipated by many people in Northern Ireland. As a constituent part of the United Kingdom, we will be playing a full part in the nationwide celebration of this historic event.
“To enable events such as street parties, lunches, BBQs and community fetes, availability of merchandise, clothing and coronation memorabilia is vital.
“Primark enjoys great success in Northern Ireland, and many within your loyal customer base are disappointed that merchandise available to GB customers is not currently available in Northern Ireland stores.
“I look forward to hearing from you, and to hearing when NI stores will be stocked with coronation items.”
A spokesperson for Primark said: “We have never stocked any products featuring national emblems in our Northern Ireland stores.
“This is based on local market and customer considerations.”
The news comes after a Lord Ashcroft poll found that people in Northern Ireland would vote by 46% to 42% to remove the royals as heads of state.
However, despite the pro-republic plurality, a massive 81% of people in Northern Ireland said they thought their country would vote to remain a monarchy in any such referendum.
