Shoppers share their views on Wycombe's new Primark

The department store has been in the town since October 2008 with the shop being based at the Chilterns Shopping Centre opposite Castle Street.

However, discussions to move the outlet away from the derelict shopping centre have taken place since the start of the decade. 

Many people waited for the shop to open on September 11 (Image: NQ)

And this year, it was confirmed Primark would move into the space once occupied by House of Fraser in the Eden Centre.

It’s first day of trading in its new home was today [Wednesday, September 11], where customers were greeted with a guard of honour upon their arrival, whilst also receiving a free flag.

Norecia Seymour, who queued from 8.45 ahead of its 10am opening time, said: “I’m excited to see what new things they have, especially for children as I am a mum.

“I was a frequent shopper at the old store, and my daughter loves going to Primark.

“I have been here for 45 minutes but I thought it opened at 9am, but I don’t mind waiting.

“It’s important to have a shop like this in Wycombe because the cost is good and there is a good range of quality clothing.”

Another shopper, Rachel Barrett, who is from Loudwater, told the Free Press: “I believe this one is a lot better than the old one.

Rachel Barrett was one of the first customers to visit High Wycombe's new Primark (Image: NQ)

“I work in Harrow so I go into the one there quite a lot, as I preferred it to one in the Chilterns, but this one is more like that.

“It’s very important to have a shop like Primark in High Wycombe, as I was disappointed they closed Zara in the town as I find it quite hard to shop for clothes.

“So now this is here, I think I’ll be back here a lot more.”

By the time store opened at 10am, there was a huge line of people standing outside the branch, with nearly 1,000 customers entering vicinity within the first hour-and-a-half.

One difference to the previous store in the Chilterns Centre is that the new outlet is just one floor, compared to its predecessor which had two.

Despite this, many were taken aback by how big the new branch is.

One customer said that Primark in High Wycombe is ‘deceitfully big’, whilst another said, they were ‘pleasantly surprised’ at the size of the shop.

Customer Jessica Watson said: “The Primark is a lot more modern than the old one and it looks lovely.

Jessica Watson believes the new branch is an 'upgrade' from the old one (Image: NQ)

“I just came to see what the new one looked like and to have a nose around.

"It’s nice to see the town get a bit of an upgrade.

“The old shopping centre [which Primark was in] was quite run down and not particularly nice.