Alshaya reveals Mideast’s first Primark location 

Retail franchise conglomerate Alshaya Group will open the Middle East’s first Primark store in Kuwait.

The region’s flagship store, located at the Grand Plaza in The Avenues, will be inaugurated on October 23. The Avenues, billed as the largest shopping centre in Kuwait, hosts more than 800 stores spread over 425,000 sq. metres. 

“It’s confirmed…. our plans with Primark to bring their stores to the Middle East starts next month in Kuwait,” John Hadden, Alshaya’s CEO said in a LinkedIn post. 

Three mega stores in Dubai, UAE, will be launched in the first and second quarter of next year, the CEO added. 

Primark said in a May statement that that three stores set to be launched in Dubai next year will be located in Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and City Centre Mirdif.

Primark’s foray into Kuwait next month and in Dubai next year, marks the international retailer’s 18th and 19th market entries, respectively. Originally founded in Dublin, the retailer operates more than 460 stores worldwide. 

“It’s fantastic to be preparing for our first stores to arrive in the Middle East in partnership with Alshaya Group. We know there is already a strong cohort of shoppers ready and waiting for us and we believe the wider region holds a lot of potential for Primark and our value proposition,” Eoin Tonge, Primark interim CEO said in May. 

Kuwait-headquartered Alshaya offers over 70 international brands and operates more than 4,000 stores, cafes, restaurants, leisure destinations, logistics and food production operations, alongside over 125 online and digital businesses.