Primark opens first store in France

There seems to be no stopping Irish fashion retailer Primark from expanding, as today the company opened it first store in Marseilles, France, to the cheering crowds of waiting fast-fashion fans. The store did not officially open until noon, however

FashionUnited's on the scene reporter Celine Vautard witnessed crowds gathering in anticipation in front of the store as early as 8.30 am.

The new store spans 62,800 square feet and is located in the Grand Littoral commercial center, the largest mall in the area. In a similar vein to other new store openings, Jean-Claude Gaudin Mayor of Marseilles was invited to cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony and Breege O'Donoghue, company director, gave a speech concerning Primark's entry into the French market.

Marseilles the "perfect place" to open the first store in France

“We are delighted to open our first store in the center Grand Littoral. France is renowned for its lifestyle and passion for fashion, so it is essential for us to be present to share with France our products and our love of fashion. As the most important mall of the region, Grand Littoral is the perfect place to start the success of Primark in France,” said O'Donoghue.

The new store opening has already has a positive impact on the French economy and helped create over 300 new jobs. Primark, known as Penneys in Ireland, has numerous store openings planned throughout France in the years to come, first one in Dijon in the shopping center La Toison d'or, then three stores in Paris with locations at Villeneuve La Garenne, Aulnay-sous-Bois and Cretiel and lastly a store in Marne La Vallée is planned for 2017.

Primark has witnessed “new and unheard of success” during its expansion phase through Europe, according to the company's general director for Northern Europe, Wolfgang Krogmann, something that is reinforced with the commotion that is caused every time a new store is opened. With the addition of the new store in Marseilles, Primark is currently present in nine countries across Europe, with a total of 269 stores.

Company profits increased 44 percent during the fiscal year ending on September 14 to 514 million pounds and Primark's chairman Charles Sinclair recently revealed that they had seen further growth in underlying sales since September.