The opening of a Primark store in the United Arab Emirates represents the brand’s inaugural entry into a 19th global market, and its second store in the Middle East after opening its first store in Kuwait earlier this year.
Alshaya Group, one of the region’s premier international retailers and franchisees, partnered strategically with Primark to bring this exciting project to fruition. A grand opening event was hosted at the Dubai Mall (the location of the new store) where distinguished guests, including John Hadden, CEO of Alshaya Group, Alison Milton — Irish Ambassador to the UAE/Qatar/Kuwait — and Ghansham Pindoria (VP of Primark — Middle East) cut the ribbon.
Primark’s flagship store at the Dubai Mall is over 60,000 square feet in size and employs approximately 600 staff to provide customers with a full shopping experience in fashion, beauty, and home. The store exemplifies Primark’s signature value proposition by offering low prices and a large variety of merchandise including womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, home essentials, and exclusive offerings from popular brands and their premium line, The Edit. In addition, customers of this store will have access to exclusive collaborations with companies like Disney, the NBA and the NFL.
Primark’s inaugural store in UAE signifies an ongoing strategy of regional growth for the brand. It opened first at Dubai Mall with plans to open stores in City Centre Mirdif and Mall of the Emirates (both of which will be opened in April and May 2026, respectively). New stores are also set to be added to their growing portfolio in Bahrain and Qatar later this year; specifically, both will have locations at City Centre Bahrain and Doha Festival City (in Doha). Once complete, Primark will have expanded to a total of 21 countries internationally.
According to Primark’s CEO Eoin Tonge; the entry into UAE is an important milestone for Primark on their global growth journey. With an already successful opening in Kuwait, they intend to provide affordable fashion to a larger audience throughout the Middle East. John Hadden stated that the opening of Primark in Dubai will be one of the most eagerly awaited retail launches in the UAE in 2026 and represents the start of a long-term partnership for expansion between Alshaya and Primark.
Primark has strengthened Dubai’s status as an international shopping hub, bringing more global retailers to the area and increasing shopping selections available to consumers. The brand will have success building a large base of consumers in this area based on their store’s size, price competitiveness and the size of their product offering.
Primark’s continued expansion into the Middle East has shown how important this area is for many global retailers’ strategic plans. Many international brands have successfully expanded in this area with localized approaches.
