Primark, the family-oriented fashion retailer with low, low prices, has signed a lease to open its first store in Manhattan, on 34th Street across from Macy’s Herald Square.
Primark will take possession of the 75,000-square-foot space — including 54,000 square feet of selling space on four levels — in 2025, with the opening planned for 2026. The site, currently occupied by Old Navy, is at 150 West 34th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
The Dublin, Ireland-based retailer will be going head-to-head against Macy’s, Target, H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, American Eagle and Urban Outfitters, among the thick concentration of retailers in and around Herald Square. Primark will have entrances on 34th and 33rd Streets and along 34th Street will be sandwiched between the Crocs and Sketchers.
“There’s a great competitor set in that area. It is certainly synonymous with retail,” said Kevin Tulip, president of Primark in the U.S., in an exclusive interview with WWD. “For a company like Primark that is building not just stores, but also its brand across the U.S., the ability to have a flagship store there is an incredible moment for us.”
Asked if the 34th Street store could be Primark’s highest-volume unit in the U.S., Tulip replied, “I wouldn’t be at liberty to say something around sales. From a square footage standpoint, it certainly isn’t our biggest store. We do have some stores that are bigger. But just given the area, given the amount of traffic that’s there, given the tourism, and given the foot traffic from commuters, we are expecting it to be a very, very busy store.
Kevin Tulip at a Primark store.
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“We will be right next to the redeveloped Penn District,” said Tulip. “Vornado, the landlord that we have signed the deal with, has invested $5.5 billion revitalizing Penn District. It’s now a very exciting place.”
Vornado Realty Trust has been upgrading and redeveloping office buildings including the Penn 1 and Penn 2 towers, and has been involved in upgrading retail properties and public spaces. It has a master plan for the area which already has seen significant redevelopment, including the recent renovation of Penn Station and the opening of Moynihan Train Hall, which serves as a hub for the Long Island Railroad and Amtrak. The intent is to make the district more pedestrian-friendly and attractive to businesses.
“The Penn District is transforming into a dynamic new district offering the best in class of retail, restaurants and lifestyle offerings. We are excited for Primark to open its first Manhattan location in this vibrant neighborhood,” said Ed Hogan, executive vice president of retail leasing at Vornado, one of the city’s largest developers, in a statement.
Primark’s low-priced fashion.
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Primark’s 34th Street store will go a long way towards raising the Irish retailer’s profile in the U.S. While well-known in Europe, Primark in the U.S. lacks much awareness. Since opening its first U.S. store, in downtown Boston in 2015, Primark in the U.S. has essentially relied on word-of-mouth, discounts off its already low prices to support sales, and an ongoing collaboration with singer Rita Ora. In August, however, Primark launched its first-ever brand campaign in the U.S., entitled “That’s So Primark.” The campaign reflects confidence in the brand’s U.S. expansion. Primark expects to have 60 stores operating in the U.S. by 2026, up from the current total of 27.
While it’s way too soon to discuss how Primark will merchandise its 34th Street flagship, Tulip did hint at what could be displayed most prominently. “We’ve definitely continued to see real excitement towards our licensed offering, more so around NBA and NFL recently, as well as obviously Disney and Netflix, and more,” he said. “Being Herald Square, this is going to be really around fashion,” as opposed to more basic fashion or fashion essentials. “Everything that we’ll do here will be around our customers, walking in and getting to see the great product offer, the great affordability, but with an extra focus around fashion…Expect to see this as a flagship store for fashion and price.”
A visit to the downtown Brooklyn Primark earlier this year, showed the retailer carrying $3.50 bikini tops, $22 jeans, $10 men’s chino shorts and $16 tutu dresses. It was hard to find anything over $50, except some outerwear and luggage. Along with fashion trends, essentials and basics, Primark also sells homewares and beauty.
Primark will open a store in the highly productive Queens Center mall in time for the holiday season. “This will be our tenth store in New York State. Our Herald Square store will be our eleventh,” said Tulip.
Primark will also enter Texas later this year with a store in McAllen. And in 2025, Primark’s first store in Tennessee will open just outside of Nashville, in Cool Springs.
“We continue to look around,” Tulip said. “We continue to learn lessons and see what works for us. I think this is a very exciting moment that shows the progress on our American ambition here for Primark.”
For the expansion, Primark has been taking over vacated stores, including former Sears and JCPenney locations. Macy’s is closing approximately 150 of its department stores over a three-year period, opening up some possibilities for Primark, though most Macy locations are three or four times the size of the average Primark location, which usually cover 50,000 to 55,000 square feet, gross. With its U.S. expansion, Primark has taken a steady, strategic and cautious approach, and is believed to be beginning to grab some market share from the likes of Old Navy, Walmart, Target and The Children’s Place, as well as off-pricers.
The retailer began picking up the pace of its U.S. expansion in 2021 and generally seeks malls with preexisting foot traffic, a healthy set of similar retailers, and some entertainment components, whether that’s a cinema, a Rainforest Cafe, or another form of entertainment. The company has two distribution centers in the U.S., one in Bethlehem, Pa., which gives coverage for the Northeast into the Midwest, and in Jacksonville, Fla., to service the Southeast and Texas.
Worldwide, Primark has over 450 stores and more than 80,000 workers across 17 countries. The firm was founded in 1969 in Ireland, although its the parent company, Associated British Foods, is based in London.
Primark fashion.
Courtesy image
