Cosmo is freaking out because Primark is called Penneys over here
When people compliment our clothes, the age-old reaction is to say, 'cheers, Penneys, €2'!
We've bought our outfits in the retail chain since we were wee babies, and it's still our one-stop-shop for, well… basically everything.
Now, us Irish are all well aware that Penneys is called Primark in the North of Ireland and in the UK, but apparently Cosmopolitan is only realising this now, and they're mind blown.
If you're an Irish person that calls Penneys primark…… wyd traitor?????
— awatif (@_fitawa) May 23, 2017
i genuinely thought penneys was some cool irish brand and was actually excited to look inside but turns out it's just primark
— lauren reed (@lozintheworld) April 21, 2017
"What if we told you that everything you know about the shop where you can buy ALL of the things in the world is a lie, and that it's actually called a completely different thing?" reads the article.
They then come to the revelation that Penneys is actually Irish, and originated in Dublin in 1969.
"Back then, it opened with the name Penneys – and it stuck. The Irish totally stick by their initial name, and in fact there was a lot of confusion when they decided to rename the brand overseas.
"There is reason behind the madness, though. Penneys may make more sense for the affordable brand, but the company had to switch to Primark for legal reasons. When they expanded to the UK in 1974, they chose to change their name to avoid legal action by the US retailer J.C.Penney.
"The Irish have steadfastly stuck with Penneys, and despite the fact that the company now has stores all over the world called Primark, they are proud to be the purveyors of the original name."
Yep, we're proud indeed.
