Exclusive: Primark goes small with new format store

Primark has unveiled its first small format store, in Portugal, which looks set to be the first of many with a second store planned in Bolton. Stores expert John Ryan visits the pint-sized Primark.

At 50 most people would consider an individual to be ‘mature’. The same probably applies to retailers and with this sort of age comes both ‘wisdom’ and, occasionally, the perception of an unwillingness to change, much.  

Primark, which today posted surging full-year profits, recently celebrated its 50th birthday and is certainly mature. Yet while this means it is a feature of many town and city centres across Europe and (increasingly) the US, it does not imply that this is an outfit that is resistant to shuffling the cards, when this is required.  

With this in mind, it opened a 27,000 sq ft store in Montijo late last month – very small by Primark standards.  

For those unfamiliar with Portuguese geography, Montijo lies across the Tagus estuary from Lisbon, connected with the Capital by Europe’s second longest bridge. It has a population of around 55,000, which compares to over 500,000 for Lisbon, meaning it is a minnow.

This means that there is probably little need for a full-blown Primark in Montijo, the population just does not merit it. There is room, however, for a ‘local’ version and as such, what shoppers encounter when they enter the store is a new format from the value fashion retailer.

This one is certainly ‘curated’ in terms of the offer – it has a very small homewares area, for instance – but still manages to look and feel like a Primark that might be perhaps three or four times the size.

In spite of its relatively modest footprint, the store is an anchor in the Alegro shopping centre and before entering the shopper will probably have paused to admire the fluting-clad in-mall exterior which features large light boxes that has been created to allow the mannequin groupings to show what lies within.  

Once at the threshold, owing to its size, the decision has been taken to make this an interior in which almost all parts can be viewed from the front door. In part this is due to lowering the height of the mid-shop walls opening up sightlines and ensuring that even in a small store, nothing will be missed.

Also worth noting is the signage. This is generally much smaller than in a full-line Primark and owing to the fact that most things can be seen at a sweeping glance, the idea is that the stock should speak for itself, rather than large amounts of overhead and perimeter indicators.  

Making more of less

As far as the offer is concerned, the bulk of what is on display is fashion for women, men and kids, with a small area set aside at the far right-hand corner for homewares. The latter equates to “fashion for the home”, according to Primark director of space optimisation and store design Mark Jordan.

There is also a “brand new beauty concept”, Jordan points out, which does look a little like the kind of layout and display that shoppers might see in a branch of US beauty outfit Glossier or the lone New York store that was the physical embodiment of Birchbox, the Big Apple-based online beauty retailer.  

On the matter of making more of less, the Montijo outpost has a stockroom that is around 40% smaller than a larger storer. “Can we operate more effectively back of house against front of house?”, as Jordan asks.    

Finally, mention has to be made of the store’s eco-credentials. “We are trying to deliver an experience, but through the lens of sustainability”, says Jordan.

Practically, this means a whole raft of new materials have been used in the store construction. “Ecoboard” and “Smart Plastic”, for the display equipment, are among these, both created from recycling other materials.

Extensive use is also made of aluminium as this is both lighter and more readily recycled. A screed floor takes the place of the usual vinyl and, when it comes to recycled clothing, there are bins into which Primark clothing to be recycled can be put that have been formed from…recycled Primark clothing.

The pilot rolls out

The whole of the store design was undertaken in-house, a credit to the skills of the Primark team and in total this is a store that looks in many ways more contemporary than many others that form the estate.

Montijo is a pilot, rather than a trial, and one that has cost only “marginally more than a standard store”, Jordan notes, meaning that roll-out should be relatively straightforward – the next small format store is set to open in Bolton later this month.    

Smaller stores are something that many retailers are currently looking at as a means of ensuring that they do not miss out on shoppers who are not prepared to travel distance to visit a branch.

It may be only a shortish drive across the Tagus to visit the 64,500 sq ft flagship in Lisbon’s Colombo shopping centre, but a more local alternative for everyday Primark needs must surely be welcome.  

Montijo is small and entirely new. It is a departure from the Primark norm, but the implications for shoppers in small(er) towns and cities are substantial – they stand to get a branch of their own. Owing to both materials and footprint, opening a store of this kind will also be cheaper. Expect this to be the first of many across multiple borders.  

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