Who is ex-Primark boss Paul Marchant, and what has he done?
Paul Marchant resigned as boss of Primark on Monday following an allegation of inappropriate behaviour
Paul Marchant has resigned as the boss of high street fashion giant Primark following an allegation about inappropriate behaviour.
The retailer’s parent business, Associated British Foods (ABF), told investors about his exit on Monday morning.
The chief executive admitted to an “error of judgment” after an investigation following an allegation from a woman. Here's a look at who the businessman is and what we know about the incident:
Who is Paul Marchant?Mr Marchant was the chief executive of Primark (which trades as Penneys in Ireland) – the 450-strong chain of fashion shops – until Monday.
Paul Marchant, former CEO of Irish multinational fashion retailer Primark, speaks during an interview with AFP at the company's headquarters in Dublin, on November 21, 2024 (Image: PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)The 56-year-old is a veteran of the retail sector. He previously worked at a raft of major UK high street brands, including Debenhams, Topman and River Island.
Mr Marchant was also the chief operating officer for rival New Look before joining Primark in the same role.
How long has he been at Primark?The executive joined Primark in 2009 as chief operating officer under Primark founder Arthur Ryan, before succeeding him at the Dublin-based group later that year.
What has he done at the company?He is widely recognised in the sector for helping to drive the global expansion of the value fashion chain, particularly growing beyond its core markets in the UK and Ireland.
The group doubled its estate to more than 450 shops under his stewardship and is on track to grow further, recently revealing plans for 530 shops by the end of next year.
In the UK, the company’s budget position helped it to take market share in the fashion sector from more traditional rivals, such as Debenhams and Marks & Spencer.
However, the company was knocked by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which forced stores to close temporarily.
Since this, the company has also had to manage sharp increases in its costs, as well as increased pressure from Asia-based rivals such as Shein and Temu, who have focused on particularly low-priced offerings.
Mr Marchant led Primark’s growth in mainland Europe, with dozens of stores across France, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries.
The retailer has also rapidly grown in the US in recent years, with plans for 60 stores in the country by next year.
What do we know about the allegation against him?So far, the company has provided limited details regarding the allegation.
It said the complaint was “made by an individual about his behaviour towards her in a social environment”.
How has the company responded?ABF launched an investigation into the allegation, which was carried out by external lawyers.
Mr Marchant “cooperated with the investigation, acknowledged his error of judgement and accepts that his actions fell below the standards expected by ABF”, the company said.
Primark said it will continue to offer support to the individual who reported the incident.
Paul Marchant (Image: Collins Photo Agency)George Weston, the chief executive and majority shareholder of ABF, said he was “immensely disappointed” by the allegation.
“Colleagues and others must be treated with respect and dignity,” he added.
“Our culture has to be, and is, bigger than any one individual.”
What does it mean for Primark?Primark has replaced Mr Marchant with ABF’s finance director Eoin Tonge as interim boss, working with the brand’s senior executives and strategic advisory board.
Joana Edwards, ABF group financial controller, will replace Mr Tonge on an interim basis.
Primark, which makes up almost half of ABF’s sales, brought in more than £9.4 billion (approximately €11.24 billion) in revenues in the 2024 financial year. ABF will reveal its financial results for the past six months in an update on April 29.
Primark sign on Oxford Street, London (Image: (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images))In the most recent financial year, Primark saw sales grow on the back of its expansion, helping to boost the wider ABF group.
However, in its Christmas trading update, ABF said Primark’s like-for-like sales dipped 6 per cent in the UK and Ireland over the 16 weeks to January 4 amid pressure on customer finances.
Analysts have said the incident therefore comes at a key time for the company as it seeks to stabilise its performance.
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “This leadership upset comes amid weaker consumer sentiment which has meant footfall at its stores has fallen – and the chain has been losing market share in the UK.
“Although Primark’s international performance was much better thanks to the group pressing ahead with its store rollout programme, there could be uncertainty ahead about the speed of expansion given the change of boss.”
Meanwhile, Shore Capital equity analyst Darren Shirley said the upcoming results announcement is likely to “be well set” already.
“We would also expect Primark to be progressing well at a group level, not being immune from a rather subdued British clothing market in the first quarter,” he said.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Wisconsin's strict photo ID requirements for voters will now be enshrined into the state constitution after voters approved the proposal on Tuesday's ballot.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Democratic-backed Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, cementing liberal majority.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Republican Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel lost to Democrat Susan Crawford despite the best efforts of the world's richest man.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A professor is being accused of flipping over a table set up by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire College Republicans.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said Tuesday night that it wasnâ??t until the 15th hour of his record-breaking marathon speech that he realized he could beat the record for the longest Senate floor speech.â??I really, at that point, felt like I could do it,â? Booker said. "I felt I could do it, and, I will tell ...
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 said Tuesday night that it wasnâ??t until the 15th hour of his record-breaking marathon speech that he realized he could beat the record for the longest Senate floor speech.â??I really, at that point, felt like I could do it,â? Booker said. ) |
|
|
The outcome continues liberal momentum in state judicial elections despite Trump’s popular vote victory in 2024.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Susan Crawford, a liberal circuit court judge, has won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating conservative candidate Brad Schimel in a high-stakes race that drew national attention and broke spending records, according to projections from NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, and Decision Desk HQ. The victory preserves a 4-3 liberal majority on the state’s […]
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur shared his thoughts on the idea of Aaron Rodgers joining the rival Minnesota Vikings.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Liberal candidate Susan Crawford has defeated conservative Brad Schimel, despite Elon Musk’s multimillion dollar efforts.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Susan Crawford defeated GOP-backed Brad Schimel in a closely contested race for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to discuss the “importance of building upon the strong trading and investment relationship between the two countries.”
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to discuss the “importance of building upon the strong trading and investment relationship between the two countries.”
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The liberal candidate won in the first major statewide battleground election of 2025, protecting the progressive majority on the Wisconsin's supreme court, in a race that became a referendum on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and broke records as the most expense court election in the nation's history.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Closely watched race for a seat on the state’s highest court served as a proxy battle over the nation’s political future
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.