Primark has said it plans to launch a
home delivery service in Britain, four years after it made its first foray into
e-commerce. The retailer did not say when it expects to launch the service, but
it has bought a warehouse in Sheffield from to enable it to ship products to
homes. The company said there was "opportunity for profitable growth"
through home deliveries, which could help boost trade after Primark reported
subdued sales following the recent hot weather. Analysts said the decision to
offer home delivery after years of resistance - including through the pandemic
- indicated that Primark was facing major challenges from ultra-fast-fashion
brands such as Shein. Primark did not sell goods online until 2022, when it
launched a click-and-collect service which meant shoppers still had to travel
to pick up their purchases. The fast-fashion chain is struggling to compete
with brands such as Shein and Boohoo, as well as alternative platforms such as
TikTok Shop and Vinted, and in July said it was lowering prices on hundreds of
clothing items. Retail analyst Julie Palmer said that "Primark has been
playing catch up for years" and launching home deliveries "is as much
about defence as growth". The brand will need to absorb additional costs
of returns, which tend to be higher than in-store purchases as customers cannot
try clothes on before buying them.
BBQ - Do you think Primark are too late to move fully into e-commerce?
