Primark's website crashed on Monday, shortly after the retailer finally launched its click-and-collect service. It is starting a trial in 25 stores in north-west England, Yorkshire and north Wales for children's products only. The budget chain, which lost more than £1bn in sales during the pandemic when its stores had to close, has succumbed to the online shopping revolution but it is not planning deliveries. Primark said it was aware some people had issues accessing its site. "We're working hard to address this to ensure that everyone can access and browse the site easily," the company said in a statement. By mid-afternoon the website appeared to be back up and running for some customers. During the pandemic lockdowns Primark's 190 UK stores were forced to close its doors, and it had no online operation to fall back on. Given the costs of fulfilling and delivering online orders, and dealing with high levels of returns, it can be hard for retailers to make the economics of e-commerce stack up. Primark has also been upping its game at its biggest "destination" stores, like its vast Manchester city centre one, with cafes, a barber shop, a vintage concession store and pop-up space to personalise Primark products.
