Primark praises technology teams as retailer opens four stores in four different countries including USA

Primark last week opened four stores in four different countries on the same day, a first for the budget retailer.

The move represents an investment of over €45 million from the business, creating 580 new jobs and adding 130,000 sq. ft. of selling space to its global footprint.

Stores as follows:

Parque Sur, Madrid, Spain

Tours, France

Glasgow Fort, UK

NYC Queens Center, US

In a LinkedIn post, Dan Butcher, Programme Manager at Primark, said: “Three of these stores had technology delivered by my team - with the US delivery by Toby Rainbow.”

“Amazing job Mark Thorpe (Retail Project Manager), Paul Melville (Technology Implementation Project Manager), and John Agudelo (Technology Stores Implementation Manager Iberia). Your cool heads, commitment and charm you all displayed this week is what makes this team a privilege to be part of.”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores were a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last month’s gathering.