Primark boss Paul Marchant has resigned over his behaviour towards a woman.

The nature of the incident is unclear, but it has resulted in Marchant apologising to both the woman and the board of Primark’s parent company.

Understood to have taken place in a social setting, it has been described by parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) as an ‘error of judgment’.

The company said: ‘His actions fell below the standards expected by ABF.’

George Weston, chief executive of ABF, said: ‘I am immensely disappointed. At ABF, we believe that high standards of integrity are essential.

‘Acting responsibly is the only way to build and manage a business over the long-term.

‘Colleagues and others must be treated with respect and dignity. Our culture has to be, and is, bigger than any one individual.’

Mr Marchant had led the fashion retail chain since 2009, when he took over from the company’s founder Arthur Ryan.

He had joined Primark from fast fashion rival New Look. Before that, he was with Debenhams, Topman and River Island.

Primark’s profits plunged 60% in the first year of the covid-19 pandemic.

By last year, however, they had increased 51% to £1.1billion, giving the company an operating profit of 11%.

Primark and its 450 stores account for roughly half of sales at ABF, which also owns Twinings tea and the Ryvita crispbread brand.

But a slowdown in sales early this year led the company to cut its forecasted profits for the year by 2%.

‘If Primark is struggling, you know the UK retail sector is in trouble’, Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said.

Dublin-based Primark was originally founded as Penneys, a name it still trades under in Ireland.

It changed its name to Primark when it expanded to the UK in 1973, because the American retailer JCPenney already owned the rights to the ‘Penneys’ brand there.

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The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.