VIDEO: Hungary’s first Primark store opens to huge crowd

The first Primark store in Hungary opened today, drawing a massive crowd to the Arena shopping centre. Videos of the opening event have also been shared online.

The first Primark store in Hungary opened today

Days before the official opening, groups were already organising shopping trips to be among the first to visit the new Budapest store. The store opened at 10:00 in the morning, but there was already a queue of shoppers waiting outside. To mark the occasion, store employees waved flags to music, creating a festival-like atmosphere, as seen in the videos from the site.

The crowds were particularly dense in the queue outside the store, as the number of shoppers inside was limited for security reasons. According to video reports, the number of people queuing for the opening surged, leading to the erection of a long cordon in front of the store. The video shows that as some people finished shopping, others were allowed into the store in groups.

As reported by VG.hu, Maciej Podwojski, Primark’s manager for Central and Eastern Europe, stated earlier that they anticipate customers from neighbouring countries but are primarily focusing on Hungarian consumers.

The store in Budapest covers 3,100 square metres and was built with an investment of eight million euros (more than three billion forints). The Hungarian investment created 180 jobs.