You may have heard chatter on social media or among your fashion-savvy friends about Primark, a semi-new to the U.S. retailer. And, depending on where in the United States you live, you may have started to see Primark stores popping up. And chances are if you have heard such chatter, the conversations go something like this, “Can you believe I got this faux leather biker jacket for only $17?” or perhaps, “How can they even make a pair of jeans this cute for only $20?” But what exactly is Primark? Why haven’t more people heard of it? And is it a legitimate retailer?
What is Primark?
Primark is a fast fashion brand that started in Ireland in 1969 and has continued to grow and gain major popularity in Europe through the years. The brand now has stores in 17 countries worldwide and opened its first store in the United States in Boston in 2015. There are now 21 stores across the U.S. In 2022, the brand dipped its toe into the online retail world by creating a “click and collect” website. This means you can’t shop to have items sent to your home like an e-commerce site, but rather shop and then locate which store closest to you has the item. There have been rumors of Primark expanding fully into e-commerce for the past few years, but the brand is taking it slow, as moving into e-commerce would require them to increase the low prices they are known for. The brand considers stylish affordable retailers like H&M and Zara its peers, but typically has prices even lower than either of those stores.
What Does Primark Sell?
Primark sells clothing for women, men, children and babies, along with shoes and accessories for men and women. Women’s sizes range from 0 to 16; men’s from XS-XXXL (in certain items); babies from Newborn to 24-36 months and kids from 1.5y to 8y. They also sell housewares, travel gear and beauty products. The beauty offerings include hair treatments, styling tools, bath and body items like shower gels, bath bombs, bath puffs, makeup, skincare products and nail care and color. While they sell items from different brands, the majority of the beauty offerings are from Primark’s in-house beauty brand PS…., which is both vegan and Leaping Bunny Certified.
How Can You Save Money Shopping at Primark?
Primark’s site, notably, doesn’t have a sale section. But one important note is that by simply shopping at Primark, you are saving money, because their prices truly are head-turningly low. Additionally, every Primark store has discount racks in its various sections, so it always makes sense to check those racks first if you’re looking for even deeper savings.
What Makes Primark Unique?
One of the things that makes Primark unique is quite possibly why you’ve never heard of the brand until now: Rather than producing a lower-quality product to keep operating costs low and therefore enable the brand to keep their prices so affordable, the brand actually lowers their costs by spending hardly any money on marketing. Another unique component is Primark’s celeb collaborations. The brand has released collections with the likes of Stacey Solomon (a British singer and TV personality), “Love Island” stars and, upon coming to the U.S., a more widely recognizable face in America, Rita Ora. But perhaps what makes them most unique is the brand’s repair workshops.
What Are Primark’s Repair Workshops?
Despite being a fast fashion brand, Primark pursues sustainability in various ways, one of which is their truly unique Repair Workshops. The brand wants to encourage customers to wear their clothing for longer, and in an effort to support that goal, they launched Repair Workshops to teach core sewing skills. These classes are free and cover basic repair skills like sewing on buttons, repairing a zipper and mending clothing. There are also lessons on customization, encouraging creative consumers to reuse and reimagine their apparel to extend its life even further. Classes are offered throughout the UK, Ireland, France and the Netherlands, but don’t worry: There is also an online hub! These online videos start with how to thread a needle and proceed into the basics of doing different types of stitches, and sewing on different types of buttons and zippers.
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