Foreign retailers Primark, Mango, Uniqlo expand in the U.S.

ELMHURST, NY — One of the newest additions to Queens Center is a store that many local mallgoers may not recognize.

Along with well-known mall staples like Macy’s, American Eagle and Bath & Body Works, the shopping center is now home to a Primark. The Ireland-based discount retailer, which sells clothing, shoes, purses and more, opened its doors there in December — and it has more U.S. stores on the way.

Across the country, a growing number of malls and shopping centers are getting a dose of international influence. Retailers including Primark, Spain-based Mango, Canadian retailer Aritzia and Japan-based Uniqlo are adding new stores across the U.S. — and pushing into regions where they haven’t gone before, outside of coastal cities like New York City or Los Angeles.

Nearly 19,000 stores opened in the U.S. between 2018 and 2023 and about 28% of those were foreign-owned retailers, according to the most recent available figures from GlobalData, a market research firm.

And in the past few years, retailers based in Europe or elsewhere around the world have announced ambitious U.S. expansion plans.

Primark, which has 29 stores in the U.S., plans to reach 60 locations in the country by the end of next year. It has signed leases for new stores in diverse parts of the U.S., including El Paso, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Hyattsville, Maryland; and Miami, Florida.

The retailer, known as Penneys in Ireland, has become a household name in Ireland, the U.K. and other parts of Europe since its first store opened in Dublin in 1969. The U.S. market has become an important place to break new ground as the company hits a “maturity point” in some European countries, president of Primark U.S. Kevin Tulip said in an interview with CNBC.

“The U.S. is the number one consumer market,” he said. “So to be here and to get it right means a lot. But you really need to get it right.”

Barcelona-based retailer Mango announced a $70 million expansion last fall, including plans for 42 new storefronts in the U.S. in 2024, 20 more locations this year and a new logistics center outside of Los Angeles. Those locations will be scattered in parts of the Sun Belt and Northeast, Mango CEO Toni Ruiz told CNBC in an interview. 

Vancouver-based Aritzia’s U.S. footprint is now nearly as large as its fleet of stores in its home country. Last year, the retailer opened 14 new stores, including three expansions or relocations, in North America. That brought its store count to 61 in the U.S., as it added boutiques in major cities like Chicago and Miami and smaller markets like Plano, Texas and Sacramento, California.

And more stores are coming this…