Why Primark is set to slice 150 jobs across UK, Ireland and US
Primark has confirmed that it will cut around 150 jobs across Ireland, the UK and the US, as the value fashion retailer restructures elements of its head office operations.
The majority of the redundancies, approximately 100 roles, will affect staff at its international headquarters in Dublin. This represents around 7% of its 1,500-strong team in the Irish capital. The affected departments include people and culture, finance, and procurement.
The shake-up is part of a wider move to outsource some support functions to third-party providers, reportedly including Accenture in Mumbai, according to The Evening Standard.
A Primark spokesperson said: "As we continue to grow internationally, we need to evolve our operating model to best support this ambition. We’re exploring how resourcing via external partners could help support our operations so that we can focus our own resources on what we do best.
"As part of this, we are now proposing that a number of support function activities move to a third party and we are beginning a collective consultation. This unfortunately, will impact a number of Primark colleagues primarily in our head office operations.
"While this is all about setting us up for future success and continuing to offer great products at great prices to our customers, these are not decisions we take lightly. We understand how difficult this news is for those colleagues affected and we’ll be working to support them as best we can."
Under Irish law, Primark, owned by Associated British Foods, has notified Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke and Minister of State for Retail Alan Dillon of its collective redundancy plans.
This comes after Primark cut its sales forecasts for 2025. The high street chain’s UK shops were knocked by "cautious" shoppers and unfavourable weather. It told investors in January that it is targeting "low single-digit" sales growth for the brand in 2025.
The proposed cuts come amid broader challenges in the retail sector. Earlier this week, River Island confirmed the closure of 33 UK stores, putting jobs at risk.
The family-owned company said it had been forced to act due to the ongoing shift from in-store shopping to online and the sharply rising cost of operating physical retail.
