• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Primark, a Main Street staple throughout Europe, isn’t slowing its roll into the U.S. With 29 stores already open in 12 states, the Irish fast-fashion chain is putting the final touches on its 34^th Street store in New York and expanding deeper into Texas. Rene Federico, who spent 23 years at Nike and Converse before signing on as Primark’s U.S. head of marketing, tells Retail Insider how she frames the brand for American shoppers, and what surprises her most when people walk into a Primark for the first time.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Retail Insider: Primark has long prided itself on not advertising, as part of the commitment to low prices. Why brand marketing now in the U.S.?

Rene Federico: We’re a price leader, and price leadership means scrutinizing anything that could affect price. That’s the business model. But business models don’t shop—people do. We need awareness that can scale faster than store openings in a country this big. In funnel terms, we needed top-of-funnel activity to deliver bottom-funnel metrics. Advertising is storytelling, and we need our story—style, quality and affordability—in shoppers’ paths when they’re deciding where to buy.

Retail Insider: How tightly are you tied to Dublin on that strategy?

Federico: Very. We align on enterprise strategy and on the U.S. role in it, then propose how we’ll deliver. I position marketing here as three things: a catalyst for growth, a multiplier of consumer demand (more traffic, stronger connection to our offer), and a driver of long-term value.

Retail Insider:  How do you describe the brand to someone who’s never set foot in a Primark?

Federico: We believe we uniquely deliver the triad of style, quality and affordability. We’re not off-price—we don’t ask shoppers to trade quality for price or hunt last-season product. That’s the perception we’re building.

Retail Insider: You’re starting from low awareness, like maybe zero. What do you know about the perception once people discover you?

Federico: The good news is, you don't have to undo a lot, which often can be a steeper hill to climb. But we also know that 80% of fashion purchases are influenced by brand perception, and so we do need a perception.  

When we ask non-aware shoppers to rank us against a set of competitors on things like style, value and selection, we land fifth or sixth. When we ask aware shoppers, we rank one or two. So we’ve kind of already won—we just need a bigger playing field. I like to say, “Primark shoppers love us. They just don’t know it yet.” Visibility equals relevancy.

Retail Insider: Who’s in your competitive set now—fast-fashion chains, ultra-cheap ecomm players? H&M? Uniqlo? Zara?

Federico: Anyone a savvy, value-seeking shopper considers for style, quality and affordability is a competitor. Our job is to make Primark not interchangeable. The feeling we’re chasing is expressive joy—that “this is so me” moment—so we become first choice, every time.

Retail Insider:  Is there a prototypical U.S. Primark shopper?

Federico: We’re a retailer for everyone: women, men, kids, home, beauty. Campaign-wise, we’re currently focused on the style- and affordability-obsessed female shopper because women’s clothing is a key engine of trend and sales.

Retail Insider: What’s new on the marketing front?

Federico: We’re continuing to build brand awareness under the “That’s So Primark” platform we launched last year, with more channels, more often. VCCP is our agency, and we work with both New York and London teams. We’re adding influencers, consumer activations, and big-moment retail. We’re especially excited about our upcoming 34th Street, Manhattan flagship and the activations around it—it’s one of America’s most iconic retail streets.

Retail Insider: You came from Converse/Nike, brands with billions in marketing muscle. Why jump to Primark?

Federico: The consumer-obsessed mindset felt familiar. Primark offers a huge runway to make an outsized impact. And the people here are top-tier—passionate, retail-smart, and focused on letting customers express themselves. I started on the shop floor. This feels like home.

Retail Insider: Anything that’s truly surprised you since joining?

Federico: Yes. I’d heard about the universal “wow” when people walk into a Primark. I was skeptical until I did store visits before I joined. The first words out of my mouth were “wow.” It’s actually a thing.

Retail Insider: Agency partners on “That’s So Primark”?

Federico: VCCP. We work with the New York and London teams.