Primark replaces Sears at King of Prussia mall
Primark opens in Pennsylvania on 25th November at the King of Prussia mall, in the space formerly occupied by Sears. The news store, Primarks second in the US, will have 93 fitting rooms, triple the unsual number for a store it its size, and similar to the Boston store, there will be seating areas, smartphone charging stations and LED lights in all the fitting areas. It also plans to have double the usual number of cash registers and customer service stations.

Primark is hiring 220 fulltime staff and 270 partime workers for the King of Prussia store. It has poached executives from Macy's, Forever 21, H&M and Uniqlo as it builds local expertise in the US.

There will be 93 fitting rooms, triple the usual number for a store this size (plus LED lights, seating areas and smartphone charging stations in each fitting area) at the new Primark department store, in the former Sears space at King of Prussia, when it opens Nov. 25, promises Jose Luis Martinez, who moved his family from their native Spain to Boston to be the first President of the Ireland-based clothing chain's new U.S. operation this year. (Date corrected in headline)

Primark also plans 58 cash registers, and 8 customer service registers, double the usual complement, says Terry McQuade, the former Filene's and Target executive in charge of Ireland-based Primark's new Philadelphia region. A second store is scheduled for Willow Grove next year.

Primark promises "amazing fashion, amazing prices and great customer service for the entire family," Martinez pledges. "There's not a better place to be than the King of Prussia Mall, the largest retail mall in the U.S." with its ongoing expansion, says McQuade.

Primark's deal to occupy a string of former Sears stores has placed it in the New York and Philadelphia suburbs, though its flagship U.S. store is a former Filene's in downtown Boston. Other stores will go in North Jersey, Connecticut and Staten Island. The 670,000 sf warehouse is in Bethlehem, near where Walmart, Amazon and Zulily have also set up direct distribution centers. (Because, Pennsylvania is America's Warehouse.)

Primark is hiring 220 fulltime workers and 270 parttime for King of Prussia. The store pushes its own-brand men's, women's and children's clothing and accessories, sourced by a Dublin-based global buying team to designers and factories worldwide, which the company says drives down costs. It advertises store openings but relies mostly on word-of-mouth. It has poached executives from Macy's, Forever 21, H&M and Uniqlo in building "local expertise" here, says Martinez.



What's the urban-suburban mix? In "young countries" like Spain, where children's clothing is big business, the chain initially concentrated on family-oriented shopping malls, noted Martinez. Primark has more recently added downtown stores, chasing college students and young professionals. "This shows how Primark could adapt rapidly to each local market and demographic," he added. No plans for a Philadelphia or New York City store at this time.