What: El Puerto de Liverpool has partnered with Primark to bring the Irish value-fashion retailer to Mexico under a franchise model, building on Liverpool's new brand-licensing entity.

Why it is important: It extends Liverpool's pivot from pure retailer to brand-licensing platform, following its Glam division's takeover of Dockers' Mexican distribution, and signals more third-party brand partnerships to come.

Primark plans to open its first stores in Mexico through a franchise partnership with El Puerto de Liverpool, one of the country's largest retail groups. The Dublin-based value-fashion retailer, which already operates more than 500 stores across 19 markets including 44 in the US, will rely on Liverpool's local market knowledge and operational capabilities to enter a market long dominated by Walmart and international fast-fashion players such as H&M, Zara and Uniqlo. Eoin Tonge, Primark's chief executive, said the retailer's mix of quality, style and affordability should resonate with Mexican consumers, while Enrique Güijosa, Liverpool's chief executive, framed the deal as building a foundation for long-term growth.

Liverpool operates 125 department stores, 72 Liverpool Express stores, 196 Suburbia stores, 173 specialty boutiques and 30 shopping centers, and is one of Mexico's leading credit card issuers, with more than 8.8 million cardholders and over half of sales made through its own payment methods. Locations, store openings and the pace of expansion will be defined jointly as the partnership develops, with further details to follow. Primark's only other franchised stores operate in the Middle East, through the Alshaya Group.

IADS Notes:  Liverpool's move to bring Primark into Mexico builds directly on the wholesale and brand-management infrastructure the group has assembled over the past year. Its Glam division, created to take over Dockers' distribution in Mexico, was explicitly designed to extend to further international brands and to position Liverpool as a partner for global retailers seeking market entry (Modaes, March 2026). The model echoes Chalhoub Group's recent partnership with Gap Inc., under which the Dubai-based operator will run a phased, omnichannel rollout of Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta across the Middle East (WWD, August 2026), underlining how large regional conglomerates are increasingly becoming the entry vehicle of choice for global apparel brands. For Primark, the franchise route itself is a familiar one: its only prior franchised stores are in the Middle East, run with the Alshaya Group, an arrangement that has underpinned openings in the UAE where its low-price, high-volume format has resonated strongly with local shoppers despite broader economic uncertainty (Forbes, March 2026). The Mexico deal also comes as Primark pursues international growth more broadly, including franchise opportunities in the Gulf and the US, at a time when parent company Associated British Foods has faced a cool reception to plans for a Primark demerger (Financial Times, November 2025). Liverpool, for its part, brings a century-plus history of retail modernisation and international alliances — from its founding as a fabric importer to its acquisition of Suburbia and its stake in Nordstrom — that has positioned it among the few Mexican retailers with the scale and market knowledge to de-risk a foreign brand's entry (Modaes, January 2026).

Liverpool brings Primark to Mexico