Record number of new Primark stores in Romania this year. The Irish chain is opening two more units in November, including in Bucharest. The Irish fashion retailer Primark will open its third store in Bucharest this month and a unit in Bacău. With the two openings, Primark reaches five new stores in Romania in 2026 and expands its network from four to nine stores nationwide. Primark is expanding its presence in Romania with two new stores: one in Bacău, in Arena Mall, opening on November 17, and its third in Bucharest, in Sun Plaza, on November 26. The two openings will bring Primark's Romanian network to nine stores, according to a company announcement. The new store in Arena Mall Bacău will have a retail area of approximately 2,300 sq m and will create 90 jobs, marking Primark's entry into Bacău County. The Sun Plaza store will have a retail area of approximately 2,400 sq m and will create 100 jobs, strengthening the retailer's presence in the capital alongside its existing stores in ParkLake Shopping Centre and AFI Cotroceni. The November openings conclude an important year of growth for Primark in Romania. In 2026, the retailer opened stores in Craiova, Sibiu and Iași, and Bacău and Sun Plaza will be its fourth and fifth openings this year. Together, the five stores add over 13,000 sq m of retail space and more than 500 new jobs, expanding Primark's network from four stores at the start of the year to nine by the end of November. "2026 has been a landmark year for Primark in Romania, and we are delighted to close it with two more openings in November. In less than six months, we have opened five new stores, bringing Primark closer to more customers across the country and expanding the network from four to nine locations. We are particularly excited to reach Bacău for the first time and, just nine days later, to strengthen our presence in Bucharest with our third store in the capital. This pace of development reflects our confidence in the potential of the Romanian market, as well as the appreciation that the Primark brand continues to enjoy among customers and our colleagues," said Maciej Podwojski, Sales Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Primark. Primark entered the Romanian market in December 2022 with the opening of its first store in ParkLake Shopping Centre in Bucharest. Before this year's expansion, the retailer operated four stores in the country: two in Bucharest, one in Timișoara and one in Cluj-Napoca. The five openings in 2026 - Craiova, Sibiu, Iași, Bacău and Sun Plaza Bucharest - represent Primark's largest expansion phase in Romania since entering the market. Founded in Ireland in 1969, Primark is today an international fashion retailer with over 500 stores in 21 countries across Europe, the US and the Middle East and more than 80,000 employees.

Associated British Foods reported lower annual profit as weak consumer sentiment, pressure at Primark and sugar losses outweighed progress elsewhere. For the 52 weeks ended September 12, 2026, revenue rose 1% to £19.6 billion, while adjusted operating profit fell 14% at constant currency to £1.5 billion. Adjusted earnings per share declined 10.8% to £1.56. The company expects both profit and earnings per share to fall again in fiscal 2027, mainly because of sugar-market conditions. Primark sales rose 2% to £9.8 billion on new stores, but like-for-like sales fell 2.6% and operating margin slipped to 10.2%. It plans to enter Saudi Arabia and Mexico through franchises and launch UK home delivery by the end of 2027. The sugar division lost £47 million, and ABF is closing its Cantley factory. It remains on track to demerge Primark in December 2027.

Associated British Foods (ABF) has seen its profits fall after experiencing significant economic headwinds. The Twinings, Hovis and Kingsmill owner reported a 10% fall in pre-tax profit to £1.3 billion following challenging trading across its sugar division. The London-based firm operates across five key divisions: Retail, Grocery, Ingredients, Agriculture and Sugar. ABF saw sales in sugar drop 9% on a constant-currency basis, which in turn contributed to overall revenues falling 1%. The impact of this decline in revenue was partly offset by modest growth at Primark, helping the group post revenues of £19.6 billion for the year ending 12 September 2026, broadly in line with company forecasts. Chief executive George Weston pointed out that the challenges faced by ABF in sugar and certain categories in the US had overshadowed stronger performance elsewhere across ABF Foods. ABF said it expects further difficulties in 2027 due to the impact of El Niño, which is set to disrupt African production and lead to higher gas costs. Weston commented: "Our results this year reflect a challenging operating environment and macroeconomic headwinds. "Multi-year capital projects completed in Grocery and Ingredients this year provide new capacity and capabilities to drive growth." He continued: "The integration of Hovis is well underway and we expect to drive significant cost synergies to invest in marketing and innovation and create a sustainably profitable UK bakeries business." "We have focused on what we can control, taking targeted actions to drive performance while making good operational and strategic progress and continuing to invest in long-term growth." Adjusted operating losses of between £70 million and £170 million are forecast for the sugar division in 2027. The manufacturer added that the planned separation of its key retail arm Primark from its foods business remained on track for December 2027.