Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

Posts Tagged ‘Primark’

At what point will all retail shops in the UK be the same? Is it inevitable that they will all sell the same product range one day? Think about it:

Tesco sells petrol – BP sells food
WHSmith sells stamps – Post Office sells stationary

Leaving aside the food range how different is Primark from Marks & Spencer?

Perhaps the differentiator becomes who has the best car parking and the best car wash facilities. And it’s interesting to note that even the car wash in the car park is effectively us paying to have security in the area but the car wash facilities are all the same.

Now I know not all shops are the same. And I know that most shops you can tell where you are when you are stood in the middle. I think I am maybe mourning the halcyon days of the independent retailer.

Please cheer me up with your positive stories about UK retailers.

Surely the vague adoption of clothes/dress sizes within UK fashion retailers is tantamount to deceit?

An online survey of 1,000 women, indicated that 15% bought a bigger dress size than they expected when shopping at Primark.

Top Shop and New Look were also named as stores with smaller sizing.

Marks & Spencer, Asda’s George brand and Next had the most generous sizes.

Source: BBC Business News

Why can’t a 12 be a 12?

How many returns are there a year simply because retailers choose a different definition of size?

Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if a mans 17″ shirt changed a size or two from shop to shop?

Primark carrier bags

Sunday 9 November, from Bond St underground to Marble Arch, Primark won the carrier bag war by a country mile on Oxford Street, London.

The number of people carrying the new, brown paper Primark carrier bags, bulging with shopping was amazing. Based on this highly scientific bit of market research, they will be the high street winners this Christmas.

The bright yellow Selfridges carrier bags were dotted about but few in number.

Strangely I didn’t notice any Marks & Spencer bags. Then I noticed they had changed to a red, seasonal carrier. A bad mistake as the high street impact is lost.