Primark Expected to Name Eoin Tonge Permanent CEO After Year

Eoin Tonge is widely reported to be on the brink of a permanent appointment as Primark’s chief executive after roughly a year leading the fast-fashion chain on an interim basis. Multiple outlets cited that the decision follows an internal search process that began in March 2025 and that the move would formalize Tonge’s stewardship ahead of ABF’s interim results cycle.

ABF, Primark’s owner, has reiterated the shape of that search in a single prepared line: “ABF announced in March 2025 the search for a permanent CEO. Since that time, the Board has undertaken a rigorous search, assessing both internal and external candidates. The process is at an advanced stage but we will not comment further until the process is complete.” That statement, repeated across coverage, frames the board’s assessment as effectively complete even while the company withholds official confirmation.

Tonge assumed the interim chief executive role in around March 2025 after a year as ABF’s finance director, a post he took up in April 2023. His CV as reported includes a spell at Marks & Spencer as chief financial and strategy officer and earlier senior roles at Greencore and positions at Goldman Sachs. Coverage has described his profile as one of operational discipline - tasked with stabilising a business that runs more than 450 shops worldwide while protecting Primark’s reputation for affordability and scale.

The expected permanent appointment closes a chapter that began with the departure of long-serving CEO Paul Marchant. Marchant, who had led Primark since 2009, left following an internal investigation after a complaint from a female employee; markets reacted at the time, with ABF shares reportedly falling about 4% immediately after the news. Modaes further reported that when Tonge moved to the interim CEO role, Joana Edwards took over his previous responsibilities, a detail the company has not separately expanded upon in public comment.

Primark’s leadership decision lands against a muted trading backdrop. The retailer reported like-for-like sales down 2.7% globally for the 16 weeks to January 3, with European revenues falling 5.7%. Primark adjusted its financial outlook in January 2026 despite growth in UK sales, and ABF is scheduled to publish interim results for the 24 weeks to February 28 on April 21, 2026 — a reporting date that will be the first major test of any confirmed leadership change.

Operationally, the chain continues to pursue store growth even as fast-fashion competition intensifies from platforms such as Shein and Temu; recent expansion included opening its first new London shop in almost a decade in the former Debenhams unit in Wimbledon. If the board does confirm Tonge in the coming weeks, he will take charge of turning the chain’s scale into clearer sales momentum ahead of the April results.