Primark owner to hand back £72m in furlough funds after record sales

Associated British Foods says more than half the stores broke their own sales records after reopening Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe owner of Primark is to hand back £72m in furlough payments to the UK government after record sales at its newly reopened stores in England and Wales last week as shoppers sought out summer fashions for the return to socialising.Associated British Foods, which owns the cut-price clothing and homewares retailer, said more than half the stores broke their own sales records, with many offering extended opening hours. Large queues formed outside some shops before 7am on 12 April, following a three-month closure under the latest coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/apr/20/primark-record-sales-covid-lockdown-pandemic #primark #retail_industry #business #coronavirus #uk_news #associated_british_foods #food_&_drink_industry #uk_job_furlough_scheme