Ireland-based fast fashion retailer Primark will open its first Maryland store on September 7 at Arundel Mills mall, according to Retail Insight Network. Fibre2Fashion reports that the Primark space at Arundel Mills is 36,000sf. CoStar quotes Kevin Tulip, Primark’s United States president, as stating that “[i]n most of our continental Europe market, we typically open in a space that’s over 50,000 square feet. But here, we’ve downsized our stores to about 35,000 square feet, which has shown to be more profitable.” Indianapolis-based REIT Simon Property Group, Inc. owns Arundel Mills, according to public records.

Primark, which started out as Penneys in Dublin in 1969, aims to have 60 stores in the United States and 530 stores worldwide by the end of 2026, according to CoStar. Fibre2Fashion reports that the Arundel Mills opening will bring Primark to 430 stores globally and 21 stores in the U.S. At least for now, online sales are not a part of Primark’s business model, though the retailer has launched a “Click And Collect” service by which customers may shop over the Internet and pick up the product at the store.

Primark owner Associated British Foods plc (ABF) reports that for the 24 weeks that ended on March 4, 2023, Primark sales were up 19 percent to £4,228m. The April 2023 ABF report further states: “Today we are announcing our plans to establish a significant presence for Primark in southern states of the U.S. In the coming months we expect to sign leases for stores in states across the region, including locations in Texas. We are locating our second U.S. distribution centre[sp] in Jacksonville Florida and construction is progressing well.”

Last Updated on August 3, 2023 by Ramin Seddiq