Every cloud has a silver lining and for fast fashion retailer Penneys that was the sale of socks last week to fuel protesters at its flagship Mary Street store off O’Connell Street.“They did buy boxes of socks because they were there longer than they had planned so we were happy for them to come in,” says Alli Latham, general manager of the store, the busiest in its Irish network of 38 outlets. The downside was that the shop attracted 10,000 fewer customers last week when compared with the same week in 2025. And it struggled to get deliveries to the store. “That’s obviously not great for business,” says Primark chief executive Eoin Tonge. “But we live in a turbulent world in the moment, so unfortunately, that’s what we’re dealing with.” We are on a store walkabout with Tonge, the Dubliner who was appointed as CEO (just its third since Primark was set up in 1969) last month having filled the post on an interim basis for the previous year. Tonge lifts a stylish and contemporary dress off a rail among its Major Finds collection for women. It costs just €12. “This is amazing value,” he says, adding they generally sell out quickly. “It’s a new thing, we’ve only been doing this since October last year. Womenswear is still the biggest part of our business, obviously.”He also highlights a pair of women’s jeans for €24. How long do they last? “Jeans nowadays practically last forever,” he says, citing durability tests it carries out on its products by washing them time after time.Tonge says womenswear accounts for half of its business, with menswear and kids about 20 per cent each and non-apparel (home, beauty and accessories) the balance. We stop by its sprawling selection of pyjamas, again heavily skewed towards women and children. Pyjamas are a unique selling point for Penneys, particularly at Christmas time. “We just dominate that category,” he says “We are the best in the world in pyjamas. It’s a big claim but I’ll make it.”One of its bestselling pyjamas is the Boyfriend collection, with Penneys shifting 200 sets every hour across its 38 Irish stores. Tonge himself is clothed top to toe in Penneys gear. The white T-shirt, matching navy casual pants and jacket and white shoes comes to about €75. “Actually this isn’t out yet,” he says. “I got an advance. I always wear Penneys, at home as well. It’s part of the culture, our people want to wear Penneys, nobody’s forced to wear them.” The walkabout is designed to reinforce the message that Penneys offers quality clothing at low prices. Primark (Primark operates in 19 countries but only uses the Penneys name in the Republic) sells some 2 billion units a year in its near 500 stores globally. It operates under the umbrella of Associated British Foods, which is listed in London. Eoin Tonge, chief executive of Primark, at the company’s Mary Street Penneys store in Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill