Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 235 stores in Ireland (where it is branded as Penneys), the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.^[2] The company's main headquarters are in Ireland, and it is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods (ABF). When Primark first opened in June 1969 (in Mary Street, Dublin) it became apparent that more stores were required and another four were added to the chain.

Further expansion and success in Ireland dictated the move to the United Kingdom, where in 1972 four stores were opened in more suburban areas of England. The first high-street stores were Derby and Bristol.

Market position[link]

Primark on The Headrow in Leeds city centre, occupying the former Odeon cinema there.

Primark sells clothes at the budget end of the market. The company sources cheaply, using simple designs and fabrics in the most popular sizes and buys stock in bulk.

Primark's brands[link]

Primark in Manchester city centre

All of the company's merchandise is made specifically for the company and as such Primark has its own brand names. Within both menswear and ladieswear there is one main brand name that supplies most of the fashion labels, which are added to by other suppliers.

Ladieswear Brands

• Atmosphere — Ladies fashion & formal wear
• Denim Co. — Ladies denim
• Limited Edition — Ladies fashion (available only from larger stores)
• Co-Ordinates — ladies fashion formal wear
• Authentic Apparel — ladies leisure wear

Lingerie Lines

• Secret Possessions — lingerie & nightwear
• Primark Essentials — underwear
• Love 2 Lounge — slippers, hot water bottles etc.
• Ocean Club — beachwear and towels

Menswear Lines

• Cedarwood State — Mens fashion
• Butler & Webb — Mens formal wear
• Backswing — Sportswear
• Cedarwood State Active (CS Active) — Mens sportswear
• Denim Co. — Men's denim
• Primark Essentials — underwear & nightware
• Authentic Apparel — Mens leisure wear

Childrenswear Lines

• Early Days — babywear (newborn-23 months)
• Little rebel — boys babywear (9-23 months)
• Young dimension — girls babywear (9-23 months)
• Young dimension — young girlswear (2-7 years)
• Girl 2 Girl — young girlswear (2–7 years)
• YD — older girlswear (7–13 years)
• Rebel — boyswear (2-7 years and 7-13 years)
• Denim Co. — Children's denim
• Primark Essentials — underwear

Accessories Lines

• Opia — Accessories
• Opia Girls — Accessories for girls

Other Lines

• Primark Beauty — Cosmetics
• Primark Home — bedding, cushions, curtains, towels, kitchen and home accessories

Primark does also stock products from other, well-known brands. It stocks haribo sweets, assorted clothes & toys from companies such as Disney & Warner Brothers and Nivea sun lotion.

Criticism[link]

Working practices[link]

In 2006, Primark joined the Ethical Trading Initiative, a collaborative organization bringing together businesses, trades unions and NGOs to work on labour rights issues in their supply chains.^[3] ETI members commit to working towards the implementation of a code of conduct based on the International Labour Organisation's core conventions.

On 16 June 2011 the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) published its findings into a Panorama programme^[4] 'Primark: On the Rack', broadcast in June 2008. This programme was an undercover investigative documentary examining poor working conditions in Indian factories supplying Primark. Although Primark subsequently stopped doing business with the Indian supplier, the ESC concluded that footage in the programme was 'more likely than not' to have been fabricated.^[5] The ESC directed the BBC to make an on-air apology and to ensure that the programme was not repeated or sold to other broadcasters. Primark created a specific website to deal with the issues around the programme. This was later proven false and the BBC had to issue an apology.^[6]

In December 2008, the UK charity War on Want launched a new report, Fashion Victims II, that showed terms and conditions had not improved in Bangladeshi factories supplying Primark, two years after the charity first visited them.^[7]

On 9 January 2009, a supplier was forced by ETI to remove its branding from Primark stores and websites following a BBC/The Observer investigation into the employment practices. The investigation alleged use of illegal immigrant labour which was paid less than the UK legal minimum wage.^[8]

Stores[link]

The largest Primark store is located on Market Street, Manchester, England occupying 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m²) of retail space, spread over three floors. The Market Street store is also currently under refurbishment and extension to add an extra 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m²) of retail space to the ground and first floors due for completion by October 2012.^[9]

Country	Number of Stores Trading as of 23rd May 2012
United Kingdom	156
Ireland	38
Spain	27
Germany	7
Portugal	5
Netherlands	3
Belgium	1	Total	237

In May 2006, the first Primark store outside the UK and Ireland opened in Madrid, Spain. In December 2008, Primark opened its first stores in the Netherlands, followed in 2009 by its first stores in Portugal, Germany and Belgium.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Primark Ireland
• Primark UK

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