Primark interim CEO takes up position permanently
Eoin Tonge, the interim chief executive officer of budget retail giant Primark, has been appointed to the helm position permanently, confirming media speculation that had been circulating last week. The news was confirmed by the retailer’s parent company, Associated British Foods (ABF), which said Tonge would be taking up the role with immediate effect.
Prior to joining ABF in early 2023, Tonge had been chief financial officer and chief strategy officer for Marks & Spencer, and had also held a number of executive leadership roles at Greencore Group. He went on to become a director and later group finance director of ABF, before taking up the interim CEO position for Primark on March 31, 2025.
During this time, Tonge, who will continue to serve as a director on ABF’s board, had begun to implement a strategy to strengthen Primark’s customer proposition, the group said. This involves its product offering, value perception and digital and market capabilities.
Core customer proposition remains key priority
In a statement, ABF’s chief executive, George Weston, said: “Over the past year, [Tonge] has demonstrated the leadership, judgment and consumer insight needed to enable Primark to capture the significant opportunities ahead. The changes he is implementing are at an early stage but are already having a tangible benefit in a challenging environment.”
Tonge was appointed to the helm of Primark last year following the departure of Paul Merchant, who stepped down after being accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women in a social environment. In taking up the position, Tonge was faced with a number of challenges, namely navigating a difficult consumer environment, particularly in Europe and the US, where consumer confidence and footfall has remained brittle.
These obstacles remained into the latter part of last year, however, evidence of slight improvement is beginning to show. For the 16-week period ending January 3, 2026, Primark reported a decrease of 2.7 percent in like-for-like sales, partially offset by a 3 percent sales uptick in the UK, which remains a primary growth engine for the retailer. US sales were bolstered by an ongoing store rollout plan, contributing to a 12 percent sales increase, yet European sales declined 5.7 percent, with performance-initiatives only recently being rolled out.
In his own comment, Tonge said his priorities were to “strengthen Primark's core customer proposition of disruptive value leadership, enhance our digital engagement, pursue international growth and drive greater operational effectiveness and efficiency”. “I am excited by the opportunities ahead of us,” he continued.
Primark creates new chief commercial role
Tonge will be aided by Filip Ekvall, who has been appointed to the newly created role of chief commercial officer of Primark. By establishing this position, Primark looks to bring its product, retail, digital and customer functions under one banner in an added effort to strengthen the consumer proposition.
Ekvall brings 20 years of international clothing retail experience to the role, a large part of which was garnered through H&M Group, where he previously held leadership positions across Europe, South Korea and the UK. Since January 2025, Ekvall has been chief executive of Brav, an outdoor retailer.
ABF names new chief financial officer
At ABF, meanwhile, Joana Edwards will be taking over the role of group chief financial officer with immediate effect. Akin to Tonge, Edwards had been serving in the role in an interim capacity since March 2025, after previously holding the position of group financial controller. Prior to ABF, Edwards had been group financial controller at L’Oreal.