Primarks Operations Management

1.0 Introduction

The following report will look into the operations management of the well-known clothing retail chain, Primark. Being a current employee at Primark in Kingston should aid our investigation into the process of production to meet customer requirements of the organisation. We have held a meeting and gained information from the store manager of Primark in Kingston, Mr Jefferies (Appendix 4.0). As well as this, secondary research has also been obtained through sources such as the internet and books.

2.0 Primark history

Primark first opened in Dublin, Ireland in June 1969 under the name Penney's. By 1973, Primark had expanded into Great Britain, opening another four out-of-town stores. A flagship store with 50,000 square feet of space was then purchased in 1992 in Dublin. Throughout the years, Primark acquired many stores from other retail outlets, including BHS, Co-op, C&A, and most importantly, Littlewoods. Primark took over 120 Littlewoods stores in 2005 in a deal worth a massive £409 million. This enabled towns around the country where Primark was not present, to indulge in the Primark experience. By 2009, Primark also enabled countries around Europe to experience Primark, introducing stores in Spain, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and Austria.

With 253 stores across Europe, Primark guarantee to provide fast fashion to fashion-conscious customers under the age of 35. Primark are massively cheaper than their main direct competitors H&M, TKmaxx and BHS, therefore supporting their well-known slogan "Look Good, Pay Less". Although prices have recently escalated due to the increased quality of their products, they still aim to sell the majority of items at a low price, with the average price of an item of clothing selling for £4.

Primark currently sell items in many different departments including children's wear, men's, women's, home ware, lingerie and nightwear for all genders and ages. As well as this, Primark has recently started selling small gifts and gadgets, to meet the demand for a cheap Christmas gift. The ranges in these departments are constantly developing and changing to meet the demands of the customers. This makes Primark one of the biggest competitors in the clothing retail market and their cheap up-to-date clothing ranges act as order-winners for customers.

3.0 Target Market

Primark appears to have an effective target marketing approach, which is reflected through how successful the entity has been since it was first established. Primark offers its products to customers within the mass market as well as using a differentiated marketing strategy. This is because it delivers a variety of products aimed at each individual segment in their chosen target markets. Primark's overall clothing target market is aimed at people under the age