Fashion retailer Primark has unveiled plans to launch in the Middle Eastern market via a collaboration with retail franchise operator, Alshaya Group.

This follows a strategic partnership between the bodies announced in September last year.

The partners will open the first Primark store at The Avenues in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in October this year, followed with more locations in Dubai, namely the Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, and City Centre Mirdif, early next year.

In addition to these four stores, Primark and Alshaya Group are actively evaluating opportunities to further extend their reach into other regional markets.

Primark interim CEO Eoin Tonge said: “We’re excited to be taking the next step in our global expansion journey, creating new stores for more customers to enjoy shopping with us. It’s fantastic to be preparing for our first stores to arrive in the Middle East in partnership with Alshaya Group. We know there is already a strong cohort of shoppers ready and waiting for us and we believe the wider region holds a lot of potential for Primark and our value proposition.

"We can’t wait to bring them their first Primark later this year in The Avenues, Kuwait, before we continue to expand with more stores planned for Dubai next year.”

Primark operates more than 460 stores across 17 markets worldwide, offering budget fashion and essentials.

The new stores in the UAE and Kuwait will represent Primark's entry into its 18th and 19th international markets, respectively.

Alshaya Group CEO John Hadden said: "Since we announced our partnership a few months ago, we’ve seen how excited our customers are for Primark’s fantastic stores to open in the region. We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Primark, and we are all looking forward to much anticipated first stores in the next few months.”

Recently, Primark unveiled a €40m ($45m) investment in Italy as part of its international growth plans to expand across new and existing markets.