Spectacular mosaic passageway dots Primark's Amsterdam kick-off
The brand new mosaic filled Beurs passageway opened between the Damrak and Nieuwendijk in Amsterdam today, the same day that Primark opened its flagship store on the Damrak. The passageway is a 50 meter long shopping passage with colorful tiled walls, terazzo floors and a vaulted ceiling inlaid with mosaics and artworks by Arno Coenen, Iris Roskam and Hans Bentem, the Volkskrant reports.
The hundreds of thousands of mosaic tiles depict what the artist believe the underwater world of Amsterdam's canals look like with rats, fish, bicycles seemingly floating over your head, illuminated by chandeliers.
Today Primark also opened its flagship store on the Damrak. The massive store consists of over 8 thousand square meters, spread over 7 floors. And the store makes good use of the size and grandeur, according to the Telegraaf. There are even dressing rooms aimed specifically for groups of girlfriends shopping together, complete with sofas and giant mirrors.
Primark opened its doors to the eagerly awaiting crowd at 10:00 a.m., with employees forming a guard of honor for the first customers to come in. The customers were met with cheering and shouts, according to Het Parool. The first few minutes of shopping had a carnival atmosphere. But after that customers spread out over the 7 stories and calm returned.
The store employs 710 people, 30 percent of which were previously unemployed, AT5 reports. They were recruited through Employers Point Amsterdam - a collaboration between benefits agency UWV and regional municipalities.
