Primark opens 450th store in Orlando, Florida as retailer celebrates 55 years of business in Ireland

Primark, the international fashion retailer, has opened the doors to its 450th store in Orlando, Florida. The milestone coincides with Primark’s 55th anniversary in Ireland when founder Arthur Ryan opened the first Penneys store in the summer of 1969 on Mary Street in Dublin. Primark’s Orlando store marks its 26th store in the US, having opened the first store in Boston in 2015.

Located in The Florida Mall, in close proximity to the Walt Disney Resort, the latest Primark store spans 36,200 square ft, across two floors. It boasts the largest Disney collection of any Primark store with an entire floor dedicated to Disney and Marvel collections. With Orlando ranked as the third most popular US destination for Irish holidaymakers with 107,000 Irish tourists flocking there each year*, the new Primark store is sure to attract both Irish and international visitors as well as local shoppers.

Commenting on the opening, Primark CEO Paul Marchant said: “What an exciting time for Primark, on one side of the Atlantic we’ve opened our 26th US store in Orlando Florida, which is our 450th globally, while on the other we’re celebrating 55 years of Penneys in Ireland. It all started in 1969 when our visionary founder, the late Arthur Ryan, opened the first Penneys store on Mary Street in Dublin. Today we’re incredibly proud to operate in 17 countries across the world, making looking good and feeling good cost less no matter the destination.

“Our new Orlando store has the same great Primark offering that our international customers know and love, along with an impressive range of Disney merchandise, much of which you’ll only find at Primark. We know this will be a huge draw for holidaymakers given the store’s close location to the Walt Disney resort.”

Primark first made its way across the Atlantic in September 2015, opening in Boston, Massachusetts, and has now grown to have 26 stores in the US, with plans to open its first store in Michigan next month. Around the globe, Primark has opened 11 stores to date this year, across Europe and the US. This includes its first store in Hungary, which opened in Budapest earlier this summer and is the company’s 17th international market.

*Based on 2023 visitor figures. Source: Visit Orlando