Q&A: Sarah Jackson, Global Director, Licensing, Primark
Sarah Jackson leads the licensing and partnerships team at Primark, one of the largest fashion retailers in the world, where she creates innovative brand collaborations that resonate with Primark’s customers and drive significant growth.
Sarah is one of thousands of European retailers who attend Brand Licensing Europe every year to discover globally recognised brands to collaborate with and create products their customers love. Over the last ten years at Primark, she has led the dynamic growth of the award-winning partnerships business, building market leading relationships with over 40 global partners, with key brands such as Disney, Netflix, Universal, NBA & NFL.
Talk to us about the Primark brand’s evolution and its role in the consumer’s everyday life.
Primark was founded in 1969 by Mr. Arthur Ryan, with one store on Mary Street, Dublin, with the aim of bringing affordable fashion to the people of Ireland. Today, we have 80,000 colleagues across 70 markets with over 450 stores.
Primark has become a hub for cutting-edge licensing programmes, bringing brands that people love into the market in a stylish and accessible way; what was the core strategy behind this and how has it evolved?
Building strong and trusted partnerships is key to our strategy. This has helped us unlock unique opportunities for Primark that bring pioneering licensing programmes to our customers.
Communication and trust are at the heart of what we do. Being transparent helps us unlock new opportunities with our partners and give more to our customers.
Staying close to our customers is absolutely crucial. We have to stay close to the emerging trends in the market and always offer the customers something new and exciting. Licensing allows us to tap into those key cultural moments and creates a reason for consumers to visit our stores.
What are the core trends in licensing and fashion that you believe are guiding the market moving forward into the next few years?
We’re always looking for ways to elevate our licensed products through design, exclusive style guides or assets to ensure we stand above the competition. Fashion is a really great way for consumers to express themselves. By mixing everyday fandom, we can combine fashion and licensing to create everyday style.
Licensing allows us to blend nostalgia with trend-driven designs and create something wearable for our customers. The content slates are back with a bang more than ever; content is a key driver for us.
Nostalgia also remains key for Primark, whether it’s Disney’s “Stitch” or kawaii trends with Hello Kitty; we know we have something for everybody in terms of the brands they grew up with and love so well.
How does sport and music licensing play into your strategy when it comes to fashion?
Sports licensing has been a key part of the Primark business since 2021. Events such as the Super Bowl or NBA games drive that cultural phenomenon that drives fashion into licensing. Working with brands like the NBA and NFL, we create amazing fashion collections for our consumers.
Kappa is a long-term partnership for Primark. We’ve launched two collections and a few more to come. There are many exciting plans coming together, but we see the difference in mixing true branded products with fashion at Primark in a unique and exclusive way. Our customers are really resonating.
Music is another key strategy for Primark. We’ve doubled down on our music business by offering all the right artists and genres for music fans. Post-COVID, we’ve seen live music sales increase, so we’ve ensured that we’re offering fans the best styles for all their favorite artists.
You have a reputation for activating brands in-store to add an experiential element; how has that strategy evolved and what does experiential retail provide the consumer and the shopper that elevates their experience?
Primark is committed to creating engaging in-store experiences for our customers. We have great success across our cafes, whether it’s the Disney Café, where we offer the amazing Mickey Waffles, or the other cafes, where we have revolving themes from “Shrek” and “The Grinch,” to Hello Kitty. We also have Disney shop-in-shops in some of our stores. Whether it’s in Orlando, Belfast or Birmingham, we’re creating compelling areas for our customers to come and buy our products.
Consumers now see shopping as an event. They want an experience. It’s not just a transactional moment for them anymore. So, from a Primark perspective, we’ve focused on elevating that in-store experience to create a reason for those customers to cross town.
Experiential retail helps us deepen our brand affinity. We know our customers love what we’re doing in terms of thinking differently about the in-store experience.
Some collaborations stand out from any licensed fashion capsule, how are you using licensing to push the envelope even further with fashion?
We sit down and have strategic seasonal meetings with the partners, looking at what’s new and exciting. We’ve worked closely with our licensors to create the most unique campaign for Primark that drives a unique selling point (USP), exclusivity and a reason to cross town.
What’s next for the future of fashion in brand licensing?
The world of fashion and licensing is really evolving. At Primark for Autumn 25 we have some incredible launches that will shape a new direction in the industry. I can’t say much today, but we’re very excited about some of the temple launches we will be working on, and fashion will be at the forefront.
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Brand Licensing Europe is Europe’s leading event for licensing, brand extension and collaborations and takes place 7-9 October at Excel London. The event connects brand owners with retailers and manufacturers and is free for qualified visitors – register now.
Retailers will receive free concierge support ahead of the show to match with brands and organise meetings, as well as exclusive access to the Retail Lounge, networking and education throughout the event. For more information, contact Laura.FreedmanDagg@Informa.com
