Primark pledges to invest €250 million and create 700 jobs in Ireland

Fast fashion chain Primark is planning a significant investment of €250 million in its store network in Ireland, which will help to increase trading space by 20% within the next 10 year and add 700 jobs to its workforce.

This will include opening a new Penneys store, which Primark trades under in the Republic, at the Square shopping centre in Tallaght, Dublin for the first time. The 43,000 sq ft store is slated to begin trading in autumn 2022, bringing the total number of Penneys outlets in Ireland to 37.

The series of retail expansion includes a €60 million investment in extending and redeveloping its Patrick Street shop in Cork city, €20 million on extending its Eyre Square outlet in Galway, and €75 million on a new distribution centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare. Penneys will also open its newly relocated store in Carlow in summer 2022,  with a number of other store extensions to be announced over the coming months.

Primark also plans to offer more than 600 retail jobs in Ireland in the next three years. The retailer will recruit 100 new roles over the next six months at its global headquarters on Dublin’s Mary Street, and an additional 300 in its Tallaght store. It already employs about 5,000 staff in Ireland.

Commenting on the plans, Paul Marchant, Primark CEO, said: "We are proud to announce a significant long-term investment in our Penneys business to improve and grow our Irish stores by creating 700 new jobs across the country. The site of our very first store which opened more than 50 years ago is today home to our global headquarters, leading our business in 14 markets around the world.

"But even as we grow internationally, Ireland will always be our first and home market, and we remain as committed as ever to our employees, customers, and stores here. Our investment plans demonstrate the confidence and commitment we have to Penneys in Ireland: we plan to remain at the centre of Irish retail for a long time to come."

Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, added: "This announcement is a really strong vote of confidence in the retail sector, with investment planned for stores in cities and towns across the country.