Primark opened its first U.S. store this week at Downtown Crossing in Boston. The first Primark store (known as Penneys in Ireland) opened in Dublin in 1969. Primark operates 292 stores and employs over 62,000 people in ten countries: Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the UK and the US.
Primark’s Downtown Crossing store spans four floors across 77,000 square foot of selling space. It comprises 73 cash registers, 84 fitting rooms and 530 mannequins. There is free wifi throughout the store and ‘recharge’ areas where customers can relax and recharge their phones. The men’s recharge area features a large screen showing ESPN to ensure sports fans don’t miss any action whilst shopping!
Jose Luis Martinez de Larramendi, Primark US president, told the Globe earlier this year, “we wanted to be in a cosmopolitan environment and Boston is a cosmopolitan and international city.” George Weston, CEO of Primark’s parent company Associated British Food, also said that Boston is an ideal place for Primark due to the city’s large Irish population (we’re the most Irish city in America, thanks), and the array of college kids in the area.
