Calls for Primark, H&M, John Lewis and Waterstones to open in Calderdale

The bargain clothing and homeware shop is so far topping the list of retail chains Courier readers would like to see open up in the district.

Also proving popular is fashion giant H&M, department store John Lewis, Waterstones and Waitrose.

The Courier contacted Primark to ask if the firm has any plans to open a store in Calderdale but a spokesperson said: “Primark is grateful for this support but as we operate under a public company, we don’t comment on speculation around future store openings.”

A spokesperson for H&M said: “We’re delighted to hear that the residents of Halifax are fans of H&M.

“We don’t have any new store announcements to make at this time, but we hope that customers in Halifax might consider visiting our store in Huddersfield or Bradford should these be convenient or alternatively you can shop online.”

A spokesperson for Waterstones said: “How lovely to hear that a large number of Courier readers would like to see a Waterstones bookshop in their town.

“We currently have no plans to open in Halifax, but it’s always great to hear that people love bookshops, and we are very grateful to the people of Halifax for thinking of us.”

Several people who responded to our survey said there was no need for any more retail chains to open in the borough because they prefer supporting independent businesses.

And there were some people who singled out Harveys of Halifax as one of their favourite places to shop.

The family-run store on Commercial Street has been open in Halifax since 1950 and now also has a second branch, selling gifts and homeware, in the Piece Hall.

The other retail chains that Courier readers suggested should open up here included Debenhams, Zara, Schuh, Lakeland, Joules, Oasis, HMV and Mothercare.

When it came to restaurants, Wagamama received the most votes, closely followed by Zizzi.

Again, there were some who said they would rather support independent restaurants than see more national chains open.