Primark’s international reach continues to grow with the retailer announcing further expansion, this time in Portugal.

Fifteen years since its debut in the country, the fashion and lifestyle giant is to invest €40 million (£33.8 million) to open five stores in four new cities “over the next few years” taking its total to 14 stores across the country and increasing its selling space by over 30%.

It also includes an extension of its Colombo store in Lisbon, reopening this week, also making it the largest in the country.

The series of openings and expansions will create over 500 new retail jobs, Primark noted.

Those new city arrivals will include Allegro Shopping Centre (Montijo), Centro Comercial Espaço (Guimaraes), Palácio Do Gelo Shopping (Viseu) and Covilha City Center Retail Park (Covilhã).

Each of the four new stores will offer a wide choice of fashion, beauty, and homeware products. They’ll also be the first in Portugal to feature self-service checkouts alongside cashier checkouts.

Nelson Ribeiro, Head of Sales, Primark Portugal, said: “Since opening our first store… we have built and grown such a strong business here with a huge base of loyal customers.”

Primark said its investment in Portugal is part of the retailer’s ambitious growth plans to expand across new and existing markets with the aim of reaching 530 stores by 2026. Last month, it entered its 17th market, opening its first store in Budapest, Hungary.