Clothing-Discounter Primark Already Successful with Two Stores in Germany

TEXTINATION NEWSLINE 2010-04-13 Clothing-Discounter Primark Already Successful with Two Stores in Germany

The Irish-British clothing- men Mall Waterfront (www.waterfront- discounter Primark Stores Ltd. bremen.de), the biggest by area at this city. On (www.primark.co.uk), Dublin-Reading / Berk- a selling area of 5,400 sqm women’s-, men’s- shire, is sounding the alarm for an attack on and kid’s-wear are presented, also home tex- the market in the lower price genre and is tak- tiles, underwear, accessories and shoes. ing up a position against the two national low- After the big suc- cost suppliers KIK and NKD. Takko, C&A, cess in Bremen Adler, H&M and Zara are also up against a the second store new aggressive price vendor who is focussing was opened on on trendy clothing. They are selling only store th 26 of November, brands at dumping prices under the slogan 2009, in the ”Look Good – Pay Less“. NordWestZentrum in Frankfurt/Main The enterprise was founded (www.nwz-frankfurt.de). The former area of in 1969 in Dublin / Ireland by SinnLeffers was taken over. The offered Chairman Arthur Ryan, who products on a total area of 4,675 sqm are the is still active. The first store in same as in the center Waterfront. Frankfurt is th Great Britain opened in 1973. now 196 Primark-subsidiary in Europe. The Until then there were already two first stores in Germany are seen as test for a further expansion into this country. Ac- 18 stores in Ireland present, running under the name of Penneys. On April cording to market circles there is a market po- 15th, 2007 a big Primark store opened in Lon- tential in Germany of up to 100 shops. Stores don, Oxford Street with 70,000 sqm, followed in shopping streets are favored. th by Primark Liverpool on September 12 , The offeror of clothing for fash- 2007. They are selling only store brands at ion-conscious young consum- dumping prices under the slogan ”Look Good ers – comparable to Topshop – Pay Less“. Own stores exist therefore al- (www.topshop.com) – at very fa- ready in Ireland, Great Britain, Spain (first vorable prices has meanwhile store opened in May 2006 in worked its way up to be the Plenilunio/Madrid), the Netherlands (first store second-biggest clothing retailer in Rotterdam in December 2008), Portugal of Great Britain after Marks & Spencer. On (first store in Lisbon in May 2009) and Bel- rd December 3 , 2009, the number of stores by gium (first store established in Liege in De- country showed to be like this: Ireland 38, cember 2009). Spain 14, Great Britain 138, Netherlands and Their start in Germany Belgium each 1, Portugal and Germany each was the opening of the two. In the tough competition of prices the first store on May 22nd discounter focusses on collection production of last year in the Bre- in big numbers. They are saving money in

administration and marketing. They place

their emphasis on word-of-mouth advertising don`t have them, however, confuse our own by satisfied customers. strategy. Reason for that are the more than 2,900 KiK-subsidiaries we opened since the Primark is a subsidiary of founding in 1995 Europe-wide and conduct the British food group Asso- with our success concept.” ciated British Foods/ABF (www.abf.co.uk). As an inter- Timm Rogler, press officer of nationally acting enterprise NKD Marketing, Bindlach, (around 28,000 employees) (www.nkd.com) commented as follows: “We do, of course, know about the two German Pri- with a global chain store mark-subsidiaries. Interesting about them are Primark goes for an ethically organized trade the product presentation and the store con- with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)- struction. NKD differs clearly in the number of policy. They are working together with around subsidiaries and the choice of location. How- 600 suppliers in more than 16 countries. Ac- ever, we don’t see Primark as a direct com- cording to the enterprise they contribute di- petitor so far.” rectly to the engagement of more than 700,000 employees in three continents. The Summary of a company founder Arthur Ryan was honoured visit at Primark in on the 4th of March for his contribution to the Frankfurt: Posi- retail trade with the prestigious ”Retail Week tive elements are Awards 2010“ in the Londoner Grosvenor the broad aisles House Hotel. Primark was also awarded as in light sales the “Retailer of the Year“ and received the rooms, orderly drapery and markup of the Award for the ”Store Design of the Year“ for merchandise, explanation of sizes in cm and his shop in Bristol. inches, cleanliness allover – cleaning ladies active all the time; friendly and open, mostly

younger sales personnel in astonishing great According to Thorsten Rolfes, numbers mixed with older ones in Corporate corporate communications C&A Fashion, the shelves are freshly filled all the Mode KG, Düsseldorf, time, big net-shopping bags, and despite the (www.cunda.de), is the textile retail trade in long queues speedy processing at the many Germany highly competitive. Against this cashiers – by calling out numbers, when the background “we take every competitor very cashier is free again. seriously. Be it a competitor who is already The offered articles are compared to other established or a new one like Primark“. clothing discounters even more inexpensive, like e.g. highly fashionable High-Heels 9 €, summer shoes 3 €, jewellery 2 to 3 €, dress 7 The statement of the press offi- €, bag 7, cushion 3 €, men’s shirt 5 €, cer of KiK Textilien und Non- sweater 2 €, „Primark Home“-bedclothes 5- Food GmbH (www.kik-textilien.com), Bönen, parts at 15 €. Aniko Nadine Kalle, to Textination: “Certainly we are watching the activities of the broad Critique: no toilets in the whole house, scar- competition and therefore also Primark, we city of mirrors and seats to try on shoes, big

lines at the women’s changing room (maybe on purpose from marketing?). Teenies try on the Primark-clothing on the open sales area. Noticeable was the great number of teen- agers leaving Primark with fully filled bags. It is even possible “to dispose” those tops at the next fashion trend, since the Primark Credo is: Fashion above all, and reasonably priced. Gert Krockert Translation Dr.H.Arndt