Shoppers filled their baskets with the latest styles as well as staples at Primark when the retailer reopened, signalling hopes of a return to more normal life post-pandemic.
Customers thronged Primark stores the week beginning April 12 as lockdown lifted, generating record weekly takings in England and Wales for the value fashion giant.
Primark parent ABF’s finance director John Bason told Retail Week: “Fashion is back - it’s come back, and not by a little. They [consumers] see the likelihood of going out. There seems to be a broader-based expectation that things are normalising.”
He said that transactions and footfall have been in line with pre-Covid levels across the business, whereas following previous lockdowns they had been “somewhat down”. “That’s a big difference,” Bason maintained.
While a testament to Primark’s particular appeal, the return to purchases of fashion goods will be welcome news for apparel retailers more widely. They have been among the worst affected as pandemic conditions disrupted normal buying patterns of discretionary goods.
Barclays analyst Warren Ackerman noted: “With half of UK adult vaccinated, consumers are seemingly more comfortable now in returning to the high street. Clearly, there is pent-up demand, which some have dubbed ’revenge spend’, which will inevitably slow as the stores remain open, but the numbers at the moment are encouraging, and there seems to be a real appetite to get back on the high street and reward bricks-and-mortar stores that have been hit hard by the pandemic.”
The importance of a digital presence
Primark, which does not trade online, intends nevertheless to invest in its website and other digital operations such as marketing.
The retailer, which has more than 22 million “highly engaged followers across the Primark social channels”, said: “Digital plays an important role in our business, showcasing our latest ranges, building engagement and driving customers into stores.
“As we look ahead, we are actively exploring ways to leverage our digital channels to support our plans for growing our store estate.”
Bason said that might include providing customers with an indication of product availability in stores and, for marketing, making the most of the strengths of particular platforms.
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