Primark to invest 40 million euros in store portfolio in Italy

Fashion retailer Primark, known for its affordable clothing and homeware, is investing 40 million euros to grow its Italian store footprint as it looks to expand across the country.

The investment will see Primark opening five new stores in Rome, Biella, Perugia and two in Naples, bringing its Italian store count to 26. These new stores will also create 700 new jobs.

Luca Ciuffreda, director of Primark Italy, said in a statement: “I’m so proud of our growth journey in Italy: in just nine years, we’ve expanded to 18 stores across 10 provinces and there’s so much more potential. We’re thrilled to unveil a further 40 million euro investment to continue our expansion, create new jobs and support local communities.

“We know our Italian customers love our kidswear, as well as brilliant basics including pyjamas and underwear, and our incredible team work hard every day to bring our unbeatable value in fashion, beauty, and homeware to customers across Italy. And we’re not stopping here—stay tuned, because there’s even more to come!”

Primark began its Italian story in 2016, opening its first store at the ‘Il Centro’ shopping centre, Arese, Milan. Since then, the brand has expanded to 18 stores across the country, including a flagship store and regional office in the centre of Italy's fashion capital, Milan.

Primark to open five new stores in Italy

The new stores will see Primark opening in three new cities at the Gli Orsi shopping centre in Biella, the Collestrada shopping centre in Perugia, and at the Grande Sud Retail Park and La Cartiera shopping centre in Naples. Primark will also add a third store in Rome at Caput Mundi, building on the success of its Roma Maximo and Roma Est, which opened in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Each of the five new stores will feature Primark’s fashion, beauty, and homeware collections. They will also have self-service checkouts alongside traditional cashier checkouts, giving customers more choice and convenience when shopping.

To support the new store openings, Primark will create 700 retail roles, adding to its workforce of over 5,000 in Italy. In the country, Primark has a unique people model, including its ‘Grow with Us’ training programme, which focuses on internal career development and progression. Since the programme began, 80 percent of its management have been promoted internally, and colleagues are given opportunities to relocate with the company to different cities and progress their careers. For instance, when its most recent store opened in Salerno, 100 percent of the managerial team were part of the ‘Grow with Us’ programme and had been promoted internally.

Laura Finocchiaro, head of people and culture for Primark Italy, added: “Working at Primark is an opportunity to build a lifelong career in retail, with extensive in-house training programmes such as ‘Grow with Us’, as well as learning and development opportunities across all levels.

“We will have a mix of full and part-time roles for retail assistants and managers available, and interested candidates can apply for a position through the Primark careers website in the coming months."

Primark’s additional funding in Italy follows its 50-million-euro investment in Italy in November 2023, which included five new store openings in Turin, Livorno, Salerno, Cosenza and Genoa. A further new store in Parma was also announced that year. The move is part of the retailer’s ambitious international growth plans to expand across new and existing markets. Currently, the retailer has 462 stores across 17 markets and continues to grow.