Can Primark stay relevant, or is Shein taking over?

Primark has long been a fixture on the UK’s high street, attracting shoppers with its low-priced clothes, accessories and homewares.

But comparable sales in UK and Irish stores, a key metric in the retail industry, 3.1% decrease This was attributed to a “weak” consumer environment and fewer people buying winter clothing during last year’s mild autumn.

As online stores such as Shein and Vinted continue to appeal to younger shoppers, is Primark facing a fight to remain relevant? Or is the situation okay?

“While the UK clothing market has shown slow growth, Primark has significantly underperformed the overall market,” says Tamara Sender-Ceron, deputy director at market research agency Mintel, adding that it faces “increasing competition”.

Some shoppers point out that online marketplaces such as Shein and Temu offer even lower prices, a wide range of products and, most importantly, home delivery that Primark lacks.

Serena Milius stopped by Primark’s flagship London store on Oxford Street, which BBC News visited this week, with her 12-year-old daughter to look at pajamas, socks and the new Stranger Things range.

Until Shein took over, Serena did most of her shopping at Primark.

“Shein is our main thing,” says the 34-year-old finance manager from Tooting, south-west London.

Her wardrobe is now 90% Shein, she says, and she goes to Primark for “bits and pieces” such as slippers, candles, socks and cosmetic knockoffs.

Others tell the BBC they prefer to move towards higher quality products. This includes Leeds student Martha, 23, who only shops at Primark for essentials such as T-shirts, socks, underwear and cotton swabs. For other items, Weekday turns to Zara and independent stores.

“I like to buy more expensive items that I’ll wear for years to come,” she tells the BBC as she browses clothes in a Primark store with her mother. Primark “isn’t always a product that lasts,” he says.

The store was busy when the BBC visited late on Wednesday afternoon; Shoppers were mostly women, alone or in pairs. Some said they set out to visit, while others stopped by after finding themselves in the area.

Some say they are deterred by Primark’s huge, sprawling stores, which can sometimes be very busy.

“I don’t like shopping in Primark,” says content creator Abbi Lily, 24, who lives near Bournemouth. He describes the experience as “very overwhelming” and “overstimulating” and says it can be “impossible” to find things.

She used to buy most of her clothes from Primark but thinks they are no longer as cheap as they used to be. “They don’t have that many discounts anymore,” he says, echoing comments made to the BBC by some other shoppers.

Although Abbi sometimes shops on Shein, she is trying to be more “intentional” with her shopping and buying more second-hand items, including from Vinted and Depop.

A spokesperson for Primark told BBC News that 85% of its products are £10 or less and said the company “constantly compares” its prices with rivals.

Mintel’s Ms. Sender-Ceron says Shein uses artificial intelligence to spot trends and launch “thousands of new styles a day.”

According to a survey by Mintel in May, 46% of British women aged 16 to 34 had purchased fashion items from Shein in the last 12 months.

It organized temporary stores in London and opened its store this week. First permanent physical store Long lines have formed at a store in Paris waiting to get their hands on discounted priced clothes.

“You can buy anything from Shein,” said a customer waiting to visit the French capital on opening day. “It’s a great thing for people my age who are struggling in this economy.”

Critics point to the environmental impact of fast fashion and the working conditions in its factories. At the Paris launch, protesters gathered outside and called for a boycott of the brand.

Primark, which Shein specializes in delivering clothes to your door, offers click-and-collect services across its nearly 200 stores in the UK, but not delivery.

Some high street retailers are struggling in the UK, but Primark has largely bucked the trend; It is closing a store in Dartford, Kent, next year and reports suggest it will be its first store closure in a decade. It also opened dedicated Primark Home stores in Belfast and Manchester.

Mr Stevenson says Primark relies on its customers to shop in bulk. “You might be going for one thing, but you end up buying seven things you didn’t really think about,” he says. This doesn’t happen much with online shopping, he says.

Would Primark’s sales increase if it offered delivery? Mr Stevenson is skeptical: “It doesn’t look like they’re losing out by not doing it” but says it could be an option in the future.

“If you want to buy a few things from Primark for £5 each, will you pay 50% of that in delivery charges?” he asks. “Because buying something worth £10 will cost me £5 to buy tomorrow.”

Primark’s spokesman said its online model was “a deliberate choice to streamline operations and pass savings directly to customers”.

Although Primark’s comparable sales in the UK and Ireland have fallen, “I certainly don’t think they’ve done badly,” says Mr Stevenson, the Peel Hunt analyst. According to data from market research company Kantar, the UK and Ireland market share increased.

Its total worldwide sales through September were up 1% from the previous year as it opened more stores in Europe and the US.

For some shoppers, Primark will always keep them in check. “I absolutely love Primark,” says childcare worker Khloe Lightholder, 34, from Essex.

She says Primark is “very good quality for the price” and she visits for a few hours every few months, often spending £200 or more on shoes, bags, perfumes and homewares. She sets herself a monthly budget, “but every time I go to Primark it goes out the window”.

How much of a threat Shein and other affordable retailers pose is an ongoing challenge, but Primark’s brown shopping bags are unlikely to disappear from our high streets any time soon.