Primark: number of manufacturing factories 2022, by country

Primark is one of the first brands that come to mind in fast fashion. An Ireland-based retailer of value clothing, Primark operates in 14 countries and owns around 400 stores worldwide, concentrated mostly in the United Kingdom (UK).

Supplier transparency in fast fashion

Primark’s global supply network became prominent in 2013 with the collapse of the Rana Plaza building, a garment supplier factory for Primark. Since then, more attention has been given to the health and safety and labour conditions of third-party suppliers for fast fashion companies, and Primark is one of the many other retailers that have become more transparent about their global sourcing practices. According to data published on the retailer’s website, Primark worked with 444 factories in China as of October 2022. In Bangladesh, there are 103 factories supplying clothing and accessories for the company.

Producing and selling more

According to a study in 2023 looking at the leading European apparel retailers worldwide in 2021 by retail sales, Primark was one of the top performers. The company ranked ninth, behind sportswear giant Adidas and ahead of German footwear retailer, Deichmann.