Primark’s Irish man in Spain: ‘We sell roughly the same number of coats in Madrid as we do in Dublin’

Stephen Mullen was a fresh-faced teenager just out of school when he got his first job in 1985 as a trainee manager at Penneys in Clondalkin.
Almost four decades later, he is still with the company, having risen through the ranks to become general manager of its flagship shop on Mary Street before moving to Spain in 2006 to open the company’s first store in continental Europe.
Today, he is based in Madrid, as retail director for Iberia, Italy and central and eastern Europe where Primark (the company’s international trading name) now has 102 shops, including 63 in Spain with 11 in the greater Madrid area alone. Portugal has 10 stores; Italy has 16 and there are 13 in central and eastern Europe.
Moving to Spain was a big upheaval for Mullen, his wife, Debbie, and their two little boys, then a three-year-old and a five-month-old baby. Neither Mullen nor his wife spoke Spanish, English wasn’t widely spoken in Madrid at the time and Mullen says the transition was challenging both professionally and personally.
However, the parents soon made friends through their children. Their daughter, now 13, was born in Madrid, which these days is very much home. The family lives about 30km outside the city, and Mullen is based in the company’s regional office for Iberia, above its flagship store on Gran Via.
“When I arrived in Spain, Primark was not well known in mainland Europe except by people who had been to Dublin or London,” he says. “It was a huge learning curve to get to grips with so many different aspects of the business away from home, but I gained incredible experience as a result.
“During that time, as Primark grew not only in Spain but across Europe and expanded into the US. Both myself and many of my colleagues had the opportunity to develop our careers with the company. Primark is a company that believes in investing in its people, developing in-house talent and creating clear paths to promotion.”
When Mullen moved to Madrid, there were just under 130 Penneys/Primark shops in Ireland and Britain. Today there are 445, and Primark employs almost 80,000 people across 17 markets.
“In my current role, I work with our country leaders and their local teams who run our stores all over Europe, including in Hungary, where we recently opened our first store, in Budapest. I travel quite a bit as I try to get to every market once a month and we can have up to 25 openings a year so there’s always somewhere to be. I also get back to Ireland very regularly, which keeps the connection strong.
“What I think Irish people might not appreciate is how strong the Primark brand is in Europe today. There is always huge interest in the new opening of a new store. For example, we had 1,000 people queuing outside when we opened in Budapest and the following weekend, they were bringing people in by bus from two hours away. That is not unusual when we open in new markets. There is always huge excitement and a real passion for the brand.”
Mullen says that learning the quirks of individual markets is part and parcel of moving into new territories. For example, pyjamas and slippers are big sellers in Spain as not all homes have central heating and marble floors can be cold in winter.
“Interestingly enough we sell roughly the same number of coats in Madrid as we do in Dublin. What people forget is that Spain is not hot from top to bottom. It can be 28 degrees in the south, 15 degrees in the centre and five degrees in the north and it doesn’t just rain as much as in Ireland,” says Mullen.
When he’s not working, he likes to ski (in Baqueria in the Pyrenees), dine out with friends, enjoy the good weather and join the crowds supporting Real Madrid. “I go to the games with Spanish friends and it’s good fun,” he says, adding that when’s he’s away for work he likes to walk the city he’s visiting before the working day begins.
“I really like to learn about the people, the culture and the history of where I’m visiting. I try to really get to know a city – not just the obvious tourist attractions but the lesser-known areas as well. I think locals appreciate that you have taken the time to learn about their country and have a genuine interest.
“Spanish people are not unlike the Irish, which makes living here very easy. The food here is great but we still have to have our Irish sausages and Barry’s Tea and, of course, nowhere in the world serves a pint of Guinness like it’s done in Ireland.”
Mullen says that, in Spain, the working day normally starts a little later than in Ireland but it also ends later.
“Family is very important in Spain and this flows over into business, where transparency and integrity are highly valued,” he says.
“Meetings in Spain can be quite noisy as it’s considered important that everyone has had a chance to express their view. It is also important to get most official business conducted Monday to Thursday, as many offices close early on Fridays in some regions.
“Food is important and much business is done over lunch – the conversation is light for the most part but normally after coffee, it’s down to business.”