Screenshot 2026-02-13 at 13.29.13

- 31:46

Interview

or listen on

Building Primark in the US: Awareness, Experience, and Expansion

📍New York, US

Primark is one of the most recognized retail brands in Europe, but its journey in the United States is still unfolding. Rene Federico, Head of Marketing at Primark US, shared how the company is building awareness, expanding its store footprint, and adapting a globally loved brand to one of the most competitive retail markets in the world. With 38 stores already operating and a flagship location planned for Manhattan in 2026, the brand is entering a new phase of growth in America.

A central theme of the discussion was the role of physical stores in shaping customer loyalty. Primark’s model in the US is intentionally store led, focusing on delivering a compelling in person experience that drives repeat visits and long term engagement. Once customers enter a store, the likelihood of return is high, making awareness the key challenge. Marketing, therefore, is designed to bring customers in for the first visit, where the store experience itself becomes the strongest driver of retention.

The strategy to build that awareness combines brand storytelling, local market insight, and experiential activations. From pop ups and brand studios to flagship led market entry, Primark invests across a spectrum of customer acquisition approaches, balancing high impact brand moments with scalable engagement. Federico explained that success comes from understanding local nuances while maintaining a consistent global message built on style, affordability, and quality without compromise.

Looking ahead, the upcoming Manhattan flagship represents more than a new store. It signals confidence in the long term opportunity of physical retail and the strength of the Primark proposition in the US. The broader lesson is clear. Strong brands are built by listening deeply to customers, protecting what makes the brand meaningful, and delivering experiences that create emotional connection alongside value.

Listen more

Interview

From Points to Participation: What Actually Drives Loyalty

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

Interview

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

From Points to Participation: What Actually Drives Loyalty

Points are just the visible layer. The real engine is engagement. Opening the app, loading offers, interacting weekly, building habits around the experience.

Book Author

Retail Doesn’t Have a Technology Problem. It Has a Process Problem

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Book Author

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Retail Doesn’t Have a Technology Problem. It Has a Process Problem

Drawing from her experience in merchandising and the ideas explored in her book The Material Life, Liza points to the concept to market journey as the root cause of many of these breakdowns.

Interview

From “Best in Breed” to Frankenstein Stack: The Reality of Retail Technology

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

Interview

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

From “Best in Breed” to Frankenstein Stack: The Reality of Retail Technology

Lerman highlights the importance of strong discovery during the selection process, alignment between vendors and retailers, and clarity around what success should actually look like once a system is implemented.

Interview

The Build-in-Public Strategy Behind Meadow Lane

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

Interview

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

The Build-in-Public Strategy Behind Meadow Lane

Founder Sammy Nussdorf chose to build the brand in public, documenting the entire journey online. From signing the lease to designing the space and curating the assortment, the process unfolded openly on social media.

Interview

How Boll & Branch Turns Hospitality into a Competitive Advantage

Hospitality is not reserved for luxury hospitality brands. It can exist in mid-market retail when leadership makes it intentional.

Hospitality is not reserved for luxury hospitality brands. It can exist in mid-market retail when leadership makes it intentional.

Interview

Hospitality is not reserved for luxury hospitality brands. It can exist in mid-market retail when leadership makes it intentional.

How Boll & Branch Turns Hospitality into a Competitive Advantage

Hospitality is not reserved for luxury hospitality brands. It can exist in mid-market retail when leadership makes it intentional.

Receive new exclusive episodes


Sign up for our newsletter now!

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.