Who We Are

Primark is an international fashion retailer employing more than 80,000 colleagues across 17 countries in Europe and the US. Founded in Ireland in 1969 under the Penneys brand, Primark aims to provide affordable choices for everyone, from great quality everyday essentials to stand-out style across women’s, men’s and kids, as well as beauty, homeware and accessories. With a focus on creating great retail experiences, Primark has 450 stores globally and continues to expand.

Primark is working to make more sustainable fashion affordable for everyone through its Primark Cares strategy, a multi-year programme that focuses on giving clothing a longer life, protecting life on the planet and supporting the livelihoods of the people who make Primark clothes. As part of this, Primark unveiled nine commitments it is working to achieve by 2030. These commitments include making all of its clothes from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030, halving carbon emissions across its value chain and pursuing a living wage for workers in its supply chain. More information can be found here.

Timeline

• 1969 – Our first ever store opens in Dublin, Ireland, trading as Penneys. This is still the name above the 37 stores we have in Ireland today.

• 1974  – Our first UK store opens in Derby, UK. Today, we have 191 stores across the UK, our largest market.

• 2006  – Hola España! Our first store opens in Madrid, Spain, where we now operate 56 stores.

• 2006  – We join the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), a leading alliance of companies, trade unions, and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe.

• 2008  – We open our first store in The Netherlands in Rotterdam, the first of our 20 stores there today.

• 2009 – Our European expansion ramps up as we set down roots in Portugal, Germany and Belgium with stores in Lisbon, Bremen, and Liege. Today we have 10 stores in Portugal, 31 in Germany and 8 in Belgium.

• 2012  – We open in Austria with our Innsbruck store, the first of 5 in the country.

• 2013 – We open up in France with a store in Marseilles, the first of 21 stores. A significant milestone in Primark’s history with the launch of our Primark Sustainable Cotton Program, which aims to help farmers grow cotton using more environmentally friendly farming methods while improving their livelihoods. We have now trained 252,800 farmers in more sustainable farming methods, and are on track to train 275,000 farmers by the end of 2023.

• 2015 – This is the year we finally cross the Atlantic, opening our doors in Boston, still our US HQ today. Today we have 28 stores in the US and will reach 60 stores by the end of 2026.

• 2016  – We open our doors in Arese, Italy, our first Italian store. Today we have 14 stores in Italy, including our Milan flagship store and regional office.

• 2018 – Primark’s own-brand cosmetics receive the coveted Leaping Bunny status by Cruelty Free International, the gold standard certification program. Primark also becomes a participant in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular.

• 2019 – The world’s biggest Primark opens in Birmingham, UK, featuring five floors, and over 160,000 square feet of retail space. We also entered our 12th market and first in Central/Eastern Europe, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

• 2020  – Poland becomes our 13th market with the opening of our new store in Warsaw. We now have 4 stores in Poland with more due to open in 2023.

• 2021  – Primark unveils a wide-reaching sustainability strategy,  Primark Cares,designed to reduce fashion waste, halve carbon emissions across its value chain and improve the lives of the people who make Primark products. We commit to changing the way our clothes are made without changing our affordable prices, so everyone can make more sustainable choices when shopping. The Czech Republic becomes our 14th market with the opening of our new store in Prague. Our 400th store opens in Catania, Sicily, on December 1st.

• 2022 – Continuing our expansion, we open our first store in Romania, our 15th market, in the capital of Bucharest. We launch a Click + Collect trial in 25 stores in the UK, where customers can buy an extended kid’s collection online and pick up in the store.

• 2023 – We entered our 16th market with the opening of our new store in Bratislava, Slovakia.