Primark will launch home delivery in the UK for the first time, ending a decade of resistance to selling online. No launch date has been given.
The service will run out of an automated fulfilment centre in Sheffield, which owner Associated British Foods bought from Debenhams Group, the renamed Boohoo, for around £90m.
ABF said in its trading statement that “Primark’s digital maturity, including the success of Click & Collect, and online market developments, mean there is now the opportunity for profitable growth through the home delivery channel.”
The move follows click and collect, which started as a trial in November 2022 and now runs across 189 stores in England, Scotland and Wales.
Home delivery is being positioned as an addition to the store estate rather than a replacement for it. Primark trades from more than 500 shops across 19 markets, having opened in Naples this month.
The announcement came alongside a fourth-quarter trading update that was otherwise soft. Like-for-like sales are expected to fall around 3% in the 12 weeks to 12 September, with full-year sales down 2.6%.
The UK and Ireland held up better than the rest of the business, with like-for-like sales up 0.4%. Continental Europe fell 4.3%, where ABF said its turnaround is at an earlier stage.
Prolonged heat pushed back autumn and winter buying across the quarter. Trading picked up as temperatures dropped.
George Weston, ABF chief executive, said “actions to strengthen Primark’s customer proposition have continued at pace”.
ABF confirmed in April that it intends to demerge Primark into a separately listed business. A retailer heading for its own FTSE listing needs a growth story that doesn’t depend solely on opening more shops.
