Can it continue to stay relevant, or take the shein?

It has long been a staple of the UK high street, launching shoppers with off-price clothing, accessories and homeware.

But in UK and Irish stores, like-for-like sales – a key metric in the retail industry – Down 3.1% In the year to September, attributed to a “weak” consumer environment and fewer people buy winter clothes in the mild autumn winter.

As online stores like shein and trusted continue to attract young shoppers, is primark facing relevance – or is it just that?

“While the UK clothing market has seen slower growth, Primark has a positive impact on the overall market,” said Tamara Sendertor of Market-Research Agency Mining Mimber.

Some buyers point out that online markets like Shein and Temu have lower prices, a large range of products, and – home delivery, something like primark locks.

In London’s largest Primark store on Oxford Street, BBC News visited this week his 12-year-old daughter to look at Pajamas, socks and new stranger things.

Serena used to do most of her shopping at primark – until Shein took over.

“SHEIN’s Our Main Thing,” the 34-year-old Financial Finance Hooting, South-West London, says.

She says her wardrobe is now 90% shein, and goes to primark for “little bits and bobs” like flipflops, candles and cosmetic dupes.

Some told the BBC that they would rather reject the higher quality products. This includes Marta, a 23-year-old LEEDS student, who only shops at Primark for basics such as T-shirts, socks, dress shirts and cotton. For other things, he turns to the day of the week, Zara and Independent stores.

“I want to buy more expensive things that I will wear for years,” she told the BBC as she browsed clothes in a Primark store with her mum. At primark, “it’s not always a sustainable thing,” he says.

The store was busy when the BBC visited on a late Wednesday afternoon, with mainly female shoppers browsing alone or in pairs. Some say they go on their visit, others pop themselves on the spot.

Some say they are put off by the big primark stores which can sometimes be too busy.

“I’m not happy shopping in a Primark,” said Abbi Lily, a 24-year-old interior designer from near Bournemouth. He described the experience as “overwhelming” and “overstimulating” and said it can be “impossible” to find things.

She used to buy most of her clothes from Primark, but felt it wasn’t as cheap as it used to be. “They don’t really have bargains like that anymore,” he said, echoing comments by other shoppers made by the BBC.

Although Abbi sometimes shops at Shein, she tries to be more deliberate “in her shopping and buy more than second-hand and sale items.

A Primark spokesperson told BBC News that 85% of its products are £10 or under, and said it “continually benchmarks” these prices against competitors.

Shein uses AI to identify trends and launch “thousands of new styles every day”, says Minter’s MS Sender-Ceron.

According to a survey by Minterel in May, 46% of UK women aged 16 to 34 have bought fashion items from Shein in the last 12 months.

It has been doing pop-up shops in London and this week it opened First permanent physical store In a department store in Paris, there are long lines of people waiting to get their hands on clothes at discounted prices.

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

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

With Shein specializing in delivering clothes to your door, Primarar offers click services to almost 200 UK stores – but not delivery.

Some high-street retailers are struggling in the UK, but Primark has largely bucked the trend – the closure of a store in Dartford, Kent, which report, which reports, which reports, which reports, which reports, which report, which reports, which report, which reports, which reports, which report, which reports, which year closed it for a decade. It also opened dedicated Primark stores in Belfast and Manchester.

Primarar relies on customers who buy in bulk, Mr. Stevenson said. “You might go for one thing, but you end up buying seven things you didn’t even think about,” he said. It doesn’t happen like online shopping, he said.

Is primark’s sales enhanced when it offers delivery? Mr Stevenson was skeptical, saying he “didn’t want to lose them by not doing that”, but it could be an option in the future.

“If you want to buy a couple of items from primark for £5 each, do you pay 50% of that in delivery charges?” he asked. “Because buying £10 of the stuff costs me £5 to get it tomorrow.”

A Primark spokeswoman said the online model was a “deliberate choice to streamline operations and pass savings on to customers”.

Although the likes of Primark like The market share in the UK and Ireland is growing, according to data from the research company Kantar.

And total sales worldwide through September were up 1% compared to last year as more stores opened in Europe and the US.

For some shoppers, Primark will always hold them back. “I love Cargark,” said Khloe Lightdoler, a 34-year-old pregnant woman from Essex.

He said that Primark is “really very good quality for the price” and he visits every few months for an hour, usually spending on shoes, shoes, bags, perfume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homewume and homeware. He sets himself a monthly budget, “but every time I go to primark the budget is out the window”.

Some of the threats to Shein and other budget raisers are an ongoing challenge, but it doesn’t look like Primark shopping bags will be disappearing from our high streets anytime soon.