If ever there was a market tailor-made for Primark, it’s Germany. The largest economy in Europe, but one where the locals are renowned for watching their euros when it comes to clothes shopping.

Now we will get to see what sort of a dent that Primark, with its cheap chic and cut-price classics, can make in the country’s £40 billion fashion market.

Primark is rumoured to have been working on its pan-European assault for the best part of a year. George Weston, the chief executive of Associated British Foods, has had teams out scouting for sites across Germany.

Confirmation the group is now pressing ahead with plans for Germany, Portugal and the Netherlands comes as Primark continues to gather momentum at home in the UK.

It is breathing down the neck of Marks & Spencer (M&S), the UK’s biggest clothing retailer, with a market share of 10.1 per cent, against M&S's 11.4 per cent. At a time of widespread carnage on the high street, sales in the first half of the current financial year were up 25 per cent at £899 million.

Typically, UK retailers have failed to make a success of cross-border retailing, but the Primark formula is so finely honed that analysts believe there will be little lost in translation.

They believe that C&A, its closest rival in Germany, will be unable to match it on price while AB Foods has learnt from its test stores in Spain that Primark can live comfortably alongside the likes of Zara. Watch this space.

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