FAMILIES are set to enjoy a 24-hour shopping bonanza as Lakeside Primark was confirmed as one of 11 stores to open all day in the run up to Christmas.

The shopping giant has announced stores in England will be re-opening when national lockdown ends this week with extended opening hours for shoppers ahead of the festive season.

Primark will re-open its 153 stores in England on Wednesday with extended trading hours in all stores, to cater for the anticipated higher customer demand ahead of the festive season and to help safely reduce queues.

The Echo understands Southend’s new Primark store is not part of the 24-hour list.

Stores located in major shopping centres and retail parks will extend opening hours until 10pm at a minimum with some stores opening as late as midnight.

All other stores across England will trade until at least 8pm on weekdays until December 23.

Bosses confirmed 11 stores - including Lakeside - have been selected for 24-hour trading and will open from 7am on December 2 straight through until normal closing time on December 3.

Primark CEO, Paul Marchant, said: “We are delighted to re-open our stores in England on 2 December, with longer shopping hours to give our customers more time to safely do their festive shopping.

“We have everything this season that our customers expect from Primark, including our famous Christmas jumpers, festive pyjamas and much, much more.

“All of our extensive safety measures remain in place to help ensure shopping at Primark is an enjoyable, safe experience for everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to say a heart-felt thank you to the NHS and all keyworkers.”

Southend’s Royals shopping centre will also reopen on December 2, with some shops, including Debenhams and TK Maxx opening until 7pm to allow shoppers to catch up with Christmas shopping. The toilets will be open along with the centre’s car park.

Dawn Jeakings, centre manager, said: “We want this re-opening transition to be as safe as possible for our loyal customer

“Our customer care team will be on hand to assist with any questions our customers have and ensure that the Christmas shopping experience is as easy and as convenient as possible.”