Primark and Marshalls Bring Two Major Retail Openings to the CSRA This September

AUGUSTA, Ga. Shoppers across the Central Savannah River Area are getting two major new retail options within seven days of each other.

International fashion retailer Primark will open a 28,000-square-foot store at Augusta Mall on Thursday, September 10. One week later, Marshalls will open a roughly 24,000-square-foot location at Edgewood Square in North Augusta, South Carolina, on September 17.

The Augusta Press reported September 8 that the two long-awaited openings are preparing to arrive this month, putting new national and international retail brands on both sides of the Savannah River.

For the Augusta area, the story is bigger than two ribbon cuttings. One store fills part of a former anchor space inside Augusta Mall, while the other expands a major off-price chain into North Augusta.

Primark opens at Augusta Mall on September 10

Primark's Augusta store will open at Augusta Mall, 3450 Wrightsboro Road, with opening-day festivities beginning at noon.

The 28,000-square-foot location occupies space associated with the former Sears anchor. Sears closed during the first half of 2020.

Primark says shoppers can expect a live DJ, local treats and first-come, first-served giveaways during the September 10 opening.

The retailer sells women's, men's and children's clothing along with accessories, beauty products, home merchandise and other everyday items.

Augusta is especially notable in Primark's Georgia expansion because the company is opening two Peach State stores in the same week.

The first Georgia Primark opened at Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville on September 8, followed by Augusta on September 10.

Augusta shoppers can also attend free clothing repair workshops

Primark is adding something beyond opening-day giveaways.

The Augusta store will host two free Love It for Longer workshops on Friday, September 11, at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The 90-minute sessions are designed to teach basic clothing repair and upcycling skills such as repairing hems, adding buttons and adding pockets. Primark says no prior experience is required. Space is limited and advance registration is encouraged.

Marshalls opens in North Augusta one week later

The second major opening arrives across the Savannah River.

Marshalls will open its new North Augusta store at 171 Edgewood Drive in Edgewood Square on Thursday, September 17.

The company confirms that grand-opening hours will run from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The approximately 24,000-square-foot store will sell clothing, shoes, beauty products, accessories, home merchandise, luggage and other goods associated with the off-price chain.

The new North Augusta location is expected to create about 60 full- and part-time jobs, according to company information reported locally.

Marshalls also plans to donate $10,000 to Augusta Dream Center Inc. as part of the opening celebration.

One region, two states, two retail openings

The unusual part of this story is geography.

The CSRA is a regional economy that does not stop at the Georgia-South Carolina state line.

Primark is opening in Augusta, Georgia. Marshalls is opening less than a week later in North Augusta, South Carolina.

Both stores will compete for shoppers from the same broader Augusta-area customer base.

For consumers, that means two new options. For shopping centers, it means two recognizable retailers committing substantial physical footprints to the market.

Primark also gives Augusta Mall a new anchor-space story

The Augusta opening has another layer.

Large mall anchor spaces have been one of traditional retail's biggest challenges since department-store closures accelerated across the country.

Primark is moving into space tied to the former Sears at Augusta Mall, turning an area left behind by a traditional department-store closure into a new 28,000-square-foot fashion destination.

That makes its choice of Augusta Mall particularly relevant locally. Rather than shrinking the mall footprint, this opening adds a growing international retailer to it.

What CSRA shoppers should know

The Georgia inside the story

The strongest Georgia angle is Primark.

On September 8, Primark entered Georgia for the first time with a store at Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville.

Just two days later, Augusta becomes the retailer's second Georgia market.

That means Augusta is not simply getting another clothing store. It is part of the opening week for an international retailer's first significant expansion into the Peach State.

At the same time, Marshalls' North Augusta opening reinforces something residents already know: the Augusta economy extends across the river.

For ALL-N-GEORGIA, that makes the story both a Georgia retail-expansion story and a CSRA regional-growth story.

What happens next

Primark opens September 10, followed by its repair workshops on September 11.

Marshalls opens September 17.

After that, the bigger question will be how both stores perform and whether their arrivals encourage additional retailers to choose vacant or redeveloping commercial space across the Augusta area.

For now, September is shaping up as a notable month for brick-and-mortar retail in the CSRA.

For more Augusta-area coverage, see Article 024 on the September 12 Sankofa Community Issues Assembly.