The Spanish Zara, which by now in the collective imagination is synonymous with good products at low prices, the Swedish H&M, whose testimonial is none other than David Beckham, e the US Gap, which has always been a symbol of casual youth clothing from overseas but not only.
Soon, a fourth name will have to be added to these three historic low-cost retailers: comes from Ireland (where the brand was established in 1960) and the new hard-discount chain of young and trendy clothing is called Primark, which is becoming an increasingly dangerous competitor for the industry giants. A sort of Ikea of clothing, which risks getting rid of, given the moonlight of the recession, not only the competition from the big brands but also that of the "middle class" of pret-à-porter: those brands, such as Zara or Hennes&Mauritz , who have made value for money their forte. So far unchallenged.
The British chain however, it already has 241 warehouses in Europe (who employ 40 people in seven different countries, but not yet in Italy) and is now aiming at full speed on France, where it intends to open 6 or 7 new stores by 2014, after having already conquered Spain with 27 points of sale, which always travel at full capacity despite the crisis. Primark belongs to the English group Associated British Food, already owner of Ovaltine and Jordan, and focuses entirely on the strategy of large surfaces, looking for locations within shopping centers where it is easier to find large spaces, given that the brand's stores are usually around 5 square meters (almost double that of competitor warehouses).
The formula of the popular clothing chain is simple and, for now, absolutely successful: offer clothes copied from designer labels at very low prices, even 20-30% lower than Zara and H&M. Hence the success that led Primark to grow in the first half of 2012 by 15% with a turnover which has now reached 2 billion euro, and with profits of 192 million euros (+2%).
Read the news on Le Figaro
