Primark cuts prices as Shein and Temu squeeze shoppers
Primark has cut prices on hundreds of lines, with jeans at £9 and pyjamas from £7, to stop shoppers drifting to Shein and Temu.
Primark is cutting prices across hundreds of fashion lines, including cotton-rich jeans for £9 and pure-cotton pyjamas from £7, as it tries to defend its place in a market squeezed by Shein, Temu and a stubborn cost-of-living squeeze. The campaign is designed to look and feel like a supermarket price war: sharper shelf-edge prices, visible reductions on bestsellers and a narrower gap between Primark and the ultra-cheap rivals that are changing how value-conscious shoppers buy clothes.
The tactic matters because Primark has built its business on in-store volume and instant price appeal. Shoppers in BBC coverage said the chain “isn’t as cheap any more,” a warning sign for a retailer whose appeal rests on the idea that a high street trip still beats waiting for online delivery. Supermarkets have long fought Aldi and Lidl with price-matching and heavy promotions, and Primark is now borrowing from that playbook by making the savings obvious on core items rather than relying on brand loyalty alone.
The pressure comes after a difficult year for the retailer’s parent, Associated British Foods. On January 23, 2025, The Guardian reported Primark’s first sales fall since the pandemic lockdowns, with lower-income consumers cutting back amid “uncertainty and actual unemployment.” BBC coverage has also said Primark’s UK and Ireland like-for-like sales have been under pressure, underlining how quickly a value proposition can be damaged when households become more selective about every pound they spend.
Primark’s scale gives it room to respond, but not the digital flexibility of Shein or Temu. Founded in Dublin in 1969, the chain now operates more than 490 stores in 19 countries, according to Primark Careers, and its online offer remains limited to click and collect in the UK. That makes in-store pricing central to the business: if the ticket price on jeans or pyjamas stops looking compelling, the customer may never enter the shop in the first place.
The online discount battle is becoming harsher too. On September 8, 2025, Reuters said China’s e-commerce companies were being hit by a price war, a reminder that the same low-margin contest shaping British high streets is also intensifying inside the digital marketplace Primark cannot fully match.
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