Bargain Primark rival finally lands in UK as it throws open doors to 50,000 sq ft megastore – and it has self-checkouts

HUNDREDS of people have been flocking to a new bargain clothes store set to rival Primark after the chain opened its first branch in the UK. The 50,000 sq ft megastore opened today and offers menswear, womenswear and children’s clothes. The brand offers budget prices on a wide range of clothes for men, women and children Credit: LEFTIES Videos circulating on social media show huge queues forming earlier today outside the Lefties store in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre. This is the first Lefties store in the UK, with a branch in Lakeside, Essex opening in October and a store in the Metrocentre in Gateshead throwing its doors open in November. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! In an Instagram post announcing the Liverpool opening, one customer said: “So excited!!!” The affordable retailer offers hi-tech extras such as self-checkouts, robotic hanger sorters and smart fitting rooms. Owned by international fashion giant Inditex, Lefties is a sister brand of Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Massimo Dutti. The Liverpool store is set over two floors on the site of the former site of Sports Direct and Superdry. The Spanish brand, which operates over 200 stores across Spain, Portugal and Mexico, also offers online sales. Brendan Hattam, centre director at Liverpool ONE, has predicted that Lefties will prove popular with shoppers. Most read in Money “It speaks volumes that Lefties, part of the Inditex group, has chosen Liverpool ONE as its first site in the UK – our stand-out retail, leisure and hospitality offering located in the heart of the city is a major pull for leading international brands,” he said. “We know Lefties will prove incredibly popular with guests thanks to its accessible, contemporary, trend-led collections and we can’t wait for the store to open its doors.” Comment now