Sooner in Brussels than in Ghent
Primark and real estate group Prowinko signed a lease at Cannes’ Mapic event,
concerning a building in the Nieuwstraat in Brussels. Forever 21 was the building’s previous occupant when a fire razed
the building in August.
Primark
had opened its first Belgian store four years ago in Liège, while confirming its Ghent (in September 2014) and
Charleroi (somewhere in 2016) stores last year.
“Best
Retail Global Expansion”
A little more to the south, Primark received an award for the “Best Retail Global Expansion” in Cannes. The
group, established in 1969 and with 38 Irish stores, had previously conquered Great Britain (with 161 stores) before moving
across the Channel.
Primark
currently has 35 stores in Spain, 10 in
Germany, 2 in Portugal and one in Belgium. It currently has its eyes on
France, where it hopes to starts its conquest with 5 stores by the summer of
2014.
Largest Dutch shop opened
It
has also just expanded its reach in the Netherlands with a sixth Primark
store, its largest to date in the country. Eindhoven houses the 5,300 sqm store, with four different floors and employment for 450 people. “I
believe Eindhoven is an excellent location for our newest and largest Dutch
store and I am convinced we have plenty to offer the consumer”, executive
director Breege O’Donoghue mentioned.
It
started its Dutch expansion in Rotterdam several years ago and immediately generated an excellent turnover. That
led to stores in Hoofddorp, Zaandam, Almere, Zoetermeer and now Eindhoven.
Arnhem and Nijmegen are still waiting for their own Primark store.
(translated by Gary Peeters)
