From April 1, Primark has handed 27,000 retail assistants across England, Scotland, and Wales a minimum of £13 an hour, with those in London receiving £13.71, and the retailer has revealed that its staff have seen a pay increase of over 15% over the last three years.

Kari Rodgers, UK Retail Director at Primark, said: “As retail becomes a more demanding environment, our colleagues play an increasingly important role to support our customers and the local communities we’re part of up and down the country.

"By investing in increasing colleague pay, we hope this goes some way towards recognising their hard work, commitment and the value they bring every day.”

Staff will also continue to take advantage of a 15% discount throughout the entire year, and the retailer has said that all Retail and Depot employees will continue to benefit from improved maternity, paternity, adoption, and surrogacy payments.

It stated that the pay rise is just one part of its continued investment in the UK, adding that it will also invest in new store openings and "refreshing and updating" its current UK shops.

Last week, Primark opened its new 31,400-square-foot store in Epsom. The shop, which took over the former House of Fraser unit at Ashley Centre, saw queues of shoppers lining up ahead of its opening.

While the huge store offers customers a wide range of products across womenswear, menswear, children's wear, home and beauty, bosses also highlighted the economic impact it has already had on the local area.

Louisa Butters, head of urban destinations UK at CBRE Investment Management, the centre’s owner, said: “The store has created new job opportunities for the local community, will drive additional footfall, and further strengthens the centre’s position at the heart of Epsom’s retail offer.

“It builds on the strong momentum generated by last year’s refurbishment and signals the start of an exciting new chapter for the destination.”