First Look: Primark makes Chicago debut
Primark has opened its first store in the Midwest, on N. State Street in Chicago.
The 36,000-sq.-ft. store is the value-priced Irish retailer’s 12th U.S. location and one of more than 390 stores in 12 countries. Primark has also signed leases for a new store in Philadelphia and two stores in New York. The New York locations include a 35,100-sq.-ft., two-level store at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, and a 35,900-sq.-ft. store in Queens.
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The new Chicago store is spread over three floors, with clothing for women, men and kids, along with footwear, accessories, lingerie, homeware and beauty. It also features items from Primark’s recent collaborations with the NBA (with Chicago Bulls merchandise featured) and Disney.
Primark, founded in Ireland in 1969 and owned by Associated British Foods, opened its first U.S. store in 2015, at Downtown Crossing in Boston. With no e-commerce site, the company relies entirely on brick-and-mortar sales. The retailer has long maintained that the high-cost associated with selling online, which includes processing high volumes of returns, would mean it could no longer offer its signature low prices.