‘What the heck is Primark?’

“What the heck is Primark?” queried a Boston Globe correspondent ahead of the opening of the Irish retailer’s US flagship. The question echoed the general mystified response here in Boston to a brand hitherto unknown in the US.

The razzmatazz surrounding the opening by the mayor of Boston Martin Walsh included balloons and cheerleaders dressed in the company's signature blue. It drew hundreds of curious shoppers and a surge on Summer Street for its $40 coats, $18 sweaters and $22 boots. "The prices are crazy" commented one onlooker.

The 7153sq m (77,000 sq ft) store over four floors in Downtown Crossing is located in one of the city’s landmark buildings. It dates back to 1912 and is considered of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the US.

With bright and airy layouts, stylish changing rooms and points to charge phones, it is impressive in the scale and presentation of its offer.

The area, an historic shopping district, is in the throes of redevelopment and the huge Primark store is dwarfed by a soaring luxury residential skyscraper due for completion later this year. With more than 50,000 daily pedestrians, a student population of some 250,000 and close to subway lines, Downtown Crossing is a busy city hub.

Mr Walsh, son of Galway immigrants, said the opening of the store was “a step forward” for the city and a strengthening of the cultural and economic links with Ireland.

Primark director Breege O Donoghue (dressed in a $50 blue Primark outfit) referred to the fact that the first person to open a store in Boston was John Cogan from Cork in 1630 “though no one would have called [his hardware store] fashion forward”. She also stressed Primark’s commitment to ethical trade, free and fair competition.

Celebrations began on Wednesday night with an instore event that gave guests their first taste of Primark’s fashion ranges and a chance to hear singer/songwriter Tinanshe and a DJ set by Alexandra Richards, daughter of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Those in attendance included the founder of Penneys/Primark Arthur Ryan and his wife Alma, George and Guy Weston chief executives of ABF, as well as Primark chief executive Paul Marchant and president of US operations Jose Luis Martinez de Larremendi .

Customer reaction So far customer reaction has been positive and trading was busy yesterday. Stephanie Thomas from California, in Boston for a conference, spent $185 on coats and some tops. "It has great quality for the price and is very fashion forward", she told The Irish Times.

Coinciding with the US launch, in another international coup for Primark, it was announced last night that the company is the recipient of two major awards from the Grand Jury at the World Retail Congress in Rome.

The first was for retail transformation and reinvention, “for successfully re-engineering and re-energising their business to deliver sustainable growth” with the second, the outstanding leadership award going to Mr Marchant, “for delivering business success, new ideas, executive excellence and a proven focus on talent management”.