Primark sales soar, helped by European expansion

UK discount clothing retailer Primark has seen a 20% jump in sales for the current financial year, its parent company AB Foods reported.┬á  Sales in the 40 weeks to 20 June were boosted by increasing customer footfall in existing outlets, combined with expansion into Germany and Portugal earlier in the year, the company said. ┬á Primark, which already has a presence in Spain, has recently opened an additional Spanish outlet in Barcelona. It also trades in Ireland, under the brand Penneys. In the most recent 16 weeks of the trading period, Primark's sales┬árose by 21%, driven by customers searching out clothes at cut-down prices.  AB Foods, which also owns the brands Twinings, Kingsmill and Silver Spoon, said it had increased sales despite difficult trading conditions in the UK, calling the growth ÔÇ£excellent.ÔÇØ Total group sales were up by 19% in the 40-week period. ┬á Primark now has a total of 190 stores and has recently opened a new distribution centre in Northamptonshire in the UK, in order to facilitate further growth. *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *