Primark is set to open a shop in Cambridge. The cut-price clothing company has secured planning permission for a new branch. Primark, which is now the second largest UK clothing retailer by volume, has until now been one of the few familiar names missing from the Cambridge streets.

The new store will be situated on the site of the old John Lewis on Burleigh Road, near the Grafton Centre. The decision to grant planning permission is thought to be part of a move to regenerate the area, which has seen a drop in popularity in the past few years as new shopping destinations have opened up more centrally.

Although an official source reported that there were "no issues with planning and wide support from public and press", there are worries that the new outlet, which contains 40,000 square feet of trading space, could take some sales away from independent shops in the area, as well as the many charity shops based on Burleigh Road.

Primark, which is owned by global corporate giant Associated British Foods, employs over 25,000 people worldwide and has thrived in recent years on its "Look Good, Pay Less" tagline.

Primark was the subject of scrutiny from the BBC's Panorama programme earlier this year, when the ethical standards of its production systems were investigated. But the clothing giant was quick to quash such concerns, sacking three of its Indian suppliers alleged to have been using child labour and employing local NGOs to act as its "eyes and ears on the ground".

The company is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative which "aims to promote respect for the rights of people in factories and farms worldwide".

The news that Primark is to open a new store in the city has been met with largely positive feedback from the student body. "Finally!" was the resounding response from various Cambridge undergraduates when informed of the plan.

Not only is Primark a valuable source of party costumes but, in economically unstable times, its ethos of low prices and fast turnover will seem even more attractive to increasingly stretched student budgets.

Although "pretty far away" according to one lethargic student, the new store promises to attract hundreds of customers on its opening day in late 2009. The flagship branch on London's Oxford Street sold one million items in its first ten days of trading and, with Primark accounting for every pound out of ten spent on clothing in Britain, the brand's popularity seems set to continue.

By Lizzy Tyler