Leeds shopper queued for more than two hours to be first in line for Primark re-opening

The directors of both Trinity Leeds and the White Rose Centre said the first day back at work for almost three months had been a success.

After weeks of planning and drawing up new guidelines and protocols to comply with social distancing, the tills at high street favourites were ringing again.

Early indications show that of all the centres managed by Landsec, which includes Westgate at Oxford and Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth, Trinity was one of the best performers.

Trinity Leeds, Centre Director, David Maddison said the busiest shops were the Apple Store, Next, Boots and Primark.

Speaking as the shopping day drew to a close he told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "Trinity has been really successful in comparison to all our centres. We are up there with the front runners and we are really pleased about that. I have been here since 7am and it has been non-stop. We had queues, particularly for Primark first thing this morning and they are still queuing now.

"It is great to see and great to get back to retail. When I was driving to work I had a smile on my face thinking we are getting back to what we should be doing. We are playing the game today."

Around 60 per cent of the units were open with the ones remaining closed being ones that are not allowed to re-open yet such as bars and restaurants.

Mr Maddison added that he expects footfall to increase steadily as customer confidence increases and that there will be a second phase of shoppers when the food and drink outlets open again.

Over at the White Rose Centre it was a similar picture.

The centre opened at 9am and the first person in line for Primark was waiting outside at 6.45am. Zara and Sports Direct were among the other shops that were proving most popular with shoppers.