Primark’s New Strategy: Denim and Democratization to Capture Low-Cost Market

Primark has been developing its latest strategic initiative for months to capture market share. The Irish affordable-fashion retailer aims to distance itself from mass-market rivals with a strong push into denim: a comprehensive, quality-focused assortment with extended sizing and sharp price points. The move runs counter to the upmarket tilt at peers such as Inditex, Mango, H&M and, more recently, Desigual, which are doubling down on brand elevation. Primark seeks to lead the democratization of denim to gain ground in value apparel. “We don’t want customers to pay more to access good product,” the company said, citing manufacturing scale and low marketing spend as its competitive edge.

In Denim We Can is the slogan behind the project, presented last Tuesday during an event in the creative London neighborhood of Shoreditch, where it introduced its customization and click & collect services. The choice of location was not accidental; Primark wants to be associated with design and bring it into everyday life in the form of an accessible proposition. “Our aim is not to compromise style and quality for the sake of price,“ said Mary Lucas, commercial director of womenswear at Primark, about the ambitious launch of a complete denim collection comprising 58 women’s garments.

“Wemay not achieve the same margins as our competitors, but the beauty of Primark lies in the fact that we don’t want to give up on the democratic aspiration of the company,“ developed Lucas, stressing the importance of reaching the general public with garments “that fit well, feel good and are conceived under a sustainable approach” because access to quality “should not only depend on the pocket”.

Under this premise of broadening the scope of its products, Primark has developed a range in which ten key models stand out, covering styles ranging from skinny to flare, through oversize or palazzo cuts. To meet the needs of “any type of woman”, this wide range of silhouettes has also been developed with an inclusive sizing approach, ranging from size 34 to 48.“It is a full range offer because we are the retailer for everyone, we aspire to dress people of all places, ages and styles”, acknowledges the manager on the extension of its target market .

Primark counts denim as its second largest womenswear category by volume and already accounts for 10% of sales.

With the aim of broadening its media impact and extending its commercial penetration among the general public, Primark has made an exceptional investment in marketing by launching its first advert for denim.rmarketing investment in launching its first UK television advert to raise the profile of its latest denim campaign for the autumn/winter 2025 collection.

Already available from £12 in the UK, the company’s main market in terms of turnover, the garments in the collection are available in Primark stores in Spain at prices ranging from 10 to 26 euros. A practically unbeatable positioning with which the Irish company reinforces its permanent collection of jeans, which includes maternity models and models to put on and take off easily, with hook-and-eye fasteners and openings for tube access.

Mary Lucas, commercial director of womenswear, during the presentation event in London.

Our customers are buying jeans from our competitors,“ Lucas said of the current denim momentum, “but they’re paying a much higher price when they could get them at Primark prices. The offensive to expand the Irish company’s market share is already underway.

“We see a huge opportunity across the board in all markets,“ said senior denim buyer Trudy Lions, who has been in charge of the division for nearly 15 years. “In Spain, customers are tremendously loyal to Inditex, but we are poised to capture market share in the country,“ she added.

In Spain, denim prices range from 10 to 26 euros.

For Primark management, democratization is not, however, limited to the price of products. “When we launched Primark Cares, we made a major commitment to waste reduction, but we also wanted to make sustainability a concept that was accessible to everyone,“ recalled Lynne Walker, head of the company’s environmental responsibility department, which was launched five years ago.

Exterior of the company’s Oxford Street store in London.

“It’s something that we feel is fundamental to make it happen globally,“ she added, stressing the interest in advancing sustainability within the denim division given “the large volume of production” it represents. Currently, denim collections make up the Irish company’s second largest womenswear division by sales volume and account for 10% of the global offering.

Within the latest launch, three denim designs are “completely circular and designed with recycling in mind,“ with no elastane or metal rivets. Made in Pakistan or Bangladesh, all models in the collection have been produced with recycled cotton or cotton from the Primark Cotton Project initiative, launched in 2013 to promote sustainable improvements in agriculture.

“We are investing efforts in training our design teams to create collections with an eye towards the end of life of the garments,“ said Walker, also stressing the importance of customer-facing educational efforts to “promote the care and preservation of jeans.“

Founded in 1969 under the name Penneys, Primark launched its first “sustainable jeans” collection in 2019. Since then, the company has marketed its jeans in the 17 markets where it has a physical presence, which stands at more than 460 stores. On the Peninsula alone, the company operates 67 stores in Spain, where it landed in 2006, and 13 stores in Portugal.

In the United Kingdom, the launch is accompanied by a television advertising campaign.

Associated British Foods (ABF), the British holding company and parent company of Primark, forecasts a fall of around 2% in comparable sales for the second half of the year (2.4% less in the third quarter and 2% in the fourth quarter), although it estimates that total sales for the half-year will grow by 1%.

For the full year, ABF anticipates an increase of around 1% at Primark. By markets, the United Kingdom and Ireland improved with 1% growth in the second half and the market share rose from 6.6% to 6.8%; Spain and Portugal advanced 2% in the period, while the United States accelerated with a 23% increase. On the operational front, click & collect is now available in all 187 stores in the United Kingdom and the company opened four new stores in the United States, including its first in Tennessee.