BRITAIN’S biggest high-street bargain brand, Primark, has gone up in the world and is now rubbing shoulders with the likes of Warehouse and Karen Millen.
Well, not quite, but 20 cheap and cheerful Primark pieces can now be found sitting comfortably among pricier high-street brands online at none other than ASOS.com.
“As one of the high street's main retailers to be not operating online, it encourages people to visit Britain’s dying high street and this could kill it off if they get more involved in E-Commerce, which would be sad.”
A spokesperson for Primark said in a Reuters report: “Primark is taking a very limited trial of online sales with ASOS. This trial relates to a small number of fashion items and will give the company some insight into online retailing.”
The news comes a few weeks after Manchester’s Market Street store swung open its doors to a public brimming with excitement on entering the newly-refurbished bargain hunter’s playground - after over a year’s time spent doing the place up.
The store, which stands proudly in all its 1877 grand white stone exterior glory on the edge of Piccadilly Gardens, now takes the three floors of retail space to a whopping 150,100 square foot, making it the biggest of all the 257 worldwide stores.
Primark Market Street - biggest in the world
Primark can be an absolute hellhole for shoppers at the best of times – and that’s maybe why customers have wondered why the firm hasn’t been available online before.
It would make sense, wouldn’t it – being able to buy that absolute snip of a deal dress at the click of a button? There’d be no hassle, no fighting for the last size ten, sweating over a basket full of bargains.
It may be a different case in other stores across the UK and beyond, but at Manchester’s Market Street, you can now strut down those aisles like you own the place. The aisles are now much wider plus there’s air con too, so you can actually breathe as you shop.
The departments are also much more distinguishable. On a budget of £30, you can find some really good steals. The monochrome silhouette dress for £22 is a bargain and looks just like a dress from, well, ASOS.
And with more floors, come more tills – and more staff. 131 new jobs, in fact. You can still wait around five minutes to be served, but that’s nothing compared to the never-ending queues of the past. But will the queues get less and less with more people venturing online?
Teeside University business management student Tom Baxter said: “As one of the high street's main retailers to be not operating online, it encourages people to visit Britain’s dying high street and this could kill it off if they get more involved in E-Commerce, which would be sad.”
Primark online at ASOS
It might be a sad thought, but no one can ignore the fact that with cheaper prices, come cheaper materials and sometimes as a result of this, a worse fit. Which means it’s pretty essential to try the garment on first in a shop like Primark.
We all know you can expect to fluctuate between sizes in there – it all depends on the item – and with ASOS now stocking the brand online, customers are unable to try before they buy. The prices may be fantastic, but the quality isn’t always. Online customers might find themselves sending more garments back than usual. Still this hasn’t deterred ASOS.com which operates a 28 day return policy.
An ASOS spokesperson said: “As an online fashion destination, ASOS delivers an edit of the brands and product that are relevant to its twenty-something target market. Primark is part of that mix. As such, small selections of Primark’s most fashion-led pieces are available on ASOS from today.”
Fashion sales remain one of the fastest-growing internet sectors and after resisting the temptation of E-commerce for so long, Primark may well end up with their own independent website after having a taste of the online world. Who knows what that will mean for the future of the brand’s high street stores and the high street in general? The answer is but a click away.
You can follow Rachael on Twitter at @rheslehurst
