Why Primark is named Penneys in Ireland: The fascinating story behind the identify change

Ever set foot in Ireland on a shopping spree? Then you’ve probably caught on that Primark isn’t called Primark there – it’s Penneys to the locals.

Founder Arthur Ryan established the multi-national fashion retailer with a single store on Mary Street in Dublin city centre back in 1969. Since then, they have expanded to have 450 stores globally with more than 80,000 employees across 17 counties in Europe and the US.

However, shoppers have started to question why the retailer uses an alternative name outside of the UK, with one curious Quora user asking: “Is Primark still called Penney’s in Ireland?”

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According to Primark’s website, the retailer was only known as Penney’s until 1973 when Ryan decided to expand into mainland Britain and open a store in Derby. A statement reads: “Penneys is still a household name in Ireland, building its success by offering customers up-to-the-minute fashions at value-for-money prices.

“Barely a day passes when people don’t boast about where they got their shirt or trousers: ‘Penneys, just €11,’ they’ll say. Today, Penneys employs thousands of people at its Irish stores – and in the eyes of many Dubliners, Primark will always be Penneys. The Penney name could not travel to Britain as the American retailer, J. C. Penney, had the right to use the name in the region.

“Primark was the name born from that and, since then, all stores opened around the world have adopted it.” It has been reported Ryan took inspiration from his love of the Italian language to name Primark, using the word ‘Prima’ meaning ‘first’, with the added suffex ‘mark’ as he was “striving to leave a mark on the fashion industry”.

Ryan died in 2019 but had lived a secret life away from the spotlight, faced with heartache and kidnap fears which stemmed from the height of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, when Irish retail magnates were often targets for the IRA.

The mogul was rarely seen out in public and when he was, he was surrounded by bodyguards. Despite his flourishing business, Mr Ryan appeared in just one promotional video for the chain and lived in one of Dublin’s best-protected homes. This meant very few people recognised one of the most influential men in British and Irish fashion.

Meanwhile the store’s name remanes a talking point with shoppers asking: “Is it pronounced PrEEmark or PrEYEmark?”. In response to the Reddit query, one user said: “Primark themselves say that it’s PrEYEmark.” Another user added: “I work at Primark. The first day there I asked the manager and he said it’s PrEYE-mark. Even the manager’s boss says the same. Everyone I know in or related to the shop calls it PrEYE-mark.”

One more user said: “I only know English people who call it preyemark. Nearly everyone in Northern Ireland says preemark, or Penny’s if they are near the border.” A fourth user said: ” I say Pree-mark, and I’m fairly sure it’s because twenty years ago I had a German teacher who said “Prima!” a lot. Not that that makes it correct or there’s any connection.” One more user added: “The second one – never heard anyone pronounce it the first way.”

Although these days it often gets dubbed Primarni for its designer dupes to rival the high-end stores.

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