Primark to open Oct. 12 on upper level of former Woodfield Sears
European clothing retailer Primark will continue its U.S. expansion by opening its second Illinois store Oct. 12 on the upper level of what had been the state's last Sears store.
The company is touting the more than 37,000-square-foot space at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg as a destination for affordable fashion trends, beauty products and homewares.
Success of its North State Street store in Chicago and growing demand from area shoppers prompted the need for a Schaumburg store, said Kevin Tulip, president of Primark's U.S. division.
"With this expansion in the market, we anticipate making quite the splash at Woodfield Mall, and are gearing up to surprise and delight shoppers with an opening weekend and a holiday season they won't soon forget," Tulip said.
The Woodfield store will be Primark's 22nd in the nation, and another step in a plan to have 60 stores by 2026.
Primark was founded in 1969 under the Penneys brand and operates in 16 European countries with Hungary on the horizon. Through its European and recent U.S. growth, the company has racked up more than 430 stores worldwide and has made 530 its global goal for 2026.
As demonstrated by Dallas-based Compass Datacenters' purchase last week of the 273-acre former Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates, the Primark opening at Woodfield is ushering in an era without America's largest 20th-century retailer in its longtime home state.
Schaumburg Economic Development Director Matt Frank said he hasn't yet heard of plans for the former Sears store's lower level, and the property's broker couldn't be reached for comment Friday.
Frank said both the upper and lower levels of that anchor space have their own mix of attributes. The upper level boasts its own exterior entrance right next to P.F. Chang's restaurant, in addition to its interior access to the mall.
Sears, whose onetime president Robert Wood was one of the two namesakes of Woodfield Mall, closed its store there just before Thanksgiving 2021.