Primark has opened its fifth store in Romania and its first in the southwest of the country. The store at ElectroPutere Park in Craiova opened on June 9. The value retailer shared the news on its LinkedIn page, saying the opening represented an investment of more than €10 million (£8 million) and created over 100 new jobs, and that it was honored to welcome Craiova mayor Lia Olguța Vasilescu to the celebration. The opening fell in the same week as the third anniversary of Primark’s first Romanian store at the ParkLake shopping centre in Bucharest.
Primark said it will double the size of its Romanian business this year with planned openings in Iași, Sibiu and Bacău, and confirmed plans for a third Bucharest store in the next financial year, adding that it continues to grow and cannot wait to welcome customers in Craiova and beyond. The expansion follows a run of European investment. In May the chain announced more than €85 million (£73.4 million) for a series of new stores and refurbishments in Spain and Portugal. It also recently opened a Manhattan flagship, its eleventh store in New York State.
Why it matters for the pet industry
Value fashion anchors are footfall engines for the retail parks and centres where European pet specialty increasingly locates. Doubling a Romanian estate within a single year pulls weekly traffic into secondary cities such as Craiova, Iași, Sibiu and Bacău, precisely the tier-two catchments where regional pet chains and veterinary groups are still deciding whether population density supports a full-format store with an attached grooming room.
There is direct competition too. Value fashion has become a genuine channel for pet soft goods, selling beds, collars, bandanas, seasonal costumes and pet-themed apparel at prices that pull entry-level buyers away from specialty. Manufacturers of low-cost pet textiles should treat Central and Eastern European value fashion as an addressable channel rather than a bystander, particularly for high-turnover seasonal ranges.
What to watch
- Whether the Iași, Sibiu and Bacău openings all land this year as Primark has guided.
- Romanian pet specialty store openings in the same retail parks over the next twelve months.
- Any Primark pet accessory range extension across its Central and Eastern European estate.
FAQ
Where is Primark’s Romania expansion adding stores?
Primark opened its fifth Romanian store in Craiova on June 9, more than €10 million invested and over 100 jobs created. It will double the Romanian estate this year with openings in Iași, Sibiu and Bacău, and confirmed a third Bucharest store in the next financial year, after the first store’s third anniversary.
How does Primark’s expansion affect pet specialty?
Value fashion anchors are footfall engines for the retail parks where European pet specialty locates, and doubling a Romanian estate pulls traffic into secondary cities like Craiova, Iași, Sibiu and Bacău. Value fashion also sells pet soft goods, competing with specialty on beds, collars, bandanas and seasonal costumes at entry-level prices.
Should pet textile makers target CEE value fashion?
Manufacturers of low-cost pet textiles should treat Central and Eastern European value fashion as an addressable channel rather than a bystander, as Primark’s Romanian expansion shows the model reaching tier-two catchments. Pet soft-goods makers can pitch beds, collars and costumes to value retailers expanding across the region’s secondary cities.
Source intelligence adapted for the GlobalPetIndex pet-industry audience. Original publication: external brief.
