The first Primark store in Hungary will open at 10:00 am on Tuesday 28 May, but customers are already queuing in front of the store. To mark the official opening of the fast fashion company's Budapest store, store staff wave flags to music, and judging by the videos captured on the spot, Primark's debut looks like a festival.
I'm curious about this work, I've been waiting for it for a long time, but I'm begging you, some great people are killing each other here already (…)
– said one of the participants in a public group on Facebook. Another user wrote: “Oh my God, I'm scared of what's going to happen.” “Maximum crowding is expected outside the store. For security reasons, the number of customers inside will be limited,” wrote one concerned person. There was also a ridiculous post in the comment stream in which the commentator wrote that he “would even fight if he had to.”
According to the latest video report, the number of people standing in line increased very quickly at the opening, and a long cordon was set up in front of the store. Based on the video, when they finish shopping, they let the next people into the store as a group.
Several people stood in line with strollers, toddlers and dogs, commenting in the live video that Primark should hand out water to people instead of promotional chocolates, because the mall almost ran out of air within an hour.
Maciej Podvojski, Primark's head of Central and Eastern Europe, said earlier that they of course expect customers from neighboring countries as well, but they are primarily focused on Hungarian consumers. Earlier, Világgazdaság also wrote that
The Budapest store covers an area of 3,100 square meters and was realized for eight million euros (more than three billion forints), and the investment in Hungary has created 180 jobs.
When asked if the fashion department store was planning to open another Hungarian store, Primark's top manager said, “We are focusing our hearts, souls and minds on the Primark store in Arena Mall,” but of course they are also monitoring customer reactions.
I think Hungary is not a small country, and I personally think it can easily deal with another issue. We'll see what the future holds
He said. Primark is a very popular chain, Many Hungarians also like to travel to Vienna to shop at chain department stores. In the region, the company had almost no business in Hungary. In 2019, the company opened its first store in Central and Eastern Europe, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
To date, the fashion chain has opened stores in Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia. In addition to its opening in Budapest, Primark continues its expansion in the region: next year, it will open stores in Timisoara in Romania, Prague in the Czech Republic and Bydgoszcz in Poland.
