PRIMARK is making a major change to its stores as part of a huge new trial.
The high street fashion chain has partnered with care and repair firm The Seam to offer same-day clothes repair and alterations at its Manchester Market Street store.
Primark has launched the new repair service in its Manchester Market Street store[/caption]
To use the service shoppers need to book an appointment online via Eventbrite but the retailer said that walk-ins are also welcome, subject to availability.
During their appointment customers will meet The Seam Maker.
They will then discuss the repair their item needs and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes to be fixed.
Customers will also be given the option to return later in the day.
The item will then be fixed and ready to collect.
Prices will start from just £3, up to a maximum of £10 for simple services.
Primark will subsidise the cost of the service to make it more affordable.
The service will be available on the lower ground floor of the store every Friday from September 26 until December 19.
The service continues Primark’s ongoing focus on sustainable fashion.
The chain has already offered customers Love It For Longer repair workshops and online tutorials, which help customers fix clothes at home.
Primark product longevity lead Vicki Swain said: “We want to make simple clothing repairs and alterations easier to access and more affordable for our customers.
“We are looking forward to the response in our Manchester Market Street store and seeing its potential as an important fixture on the high street.”
Primark is not the only major high street retailer offering repair services.
John Lewis expanded its repair and alteration service with Timpsons to all 36 of its stores in April.
Customers can drop off their clothing, accessories or certain homeware items to be cleaned, repaired or altered in any of its stores.
The service includes:
- Fashion and homeware repairs and alterations
- Dry cleaning
- Handbag restoration
- Homeware items include: duvets, bedding, curtains, and rug cleaning
Prices start from £11, making it more expensive than Primark.
But My John Lewis loyalty members can claim 5% off all single repair services as part of an ongoing offer.
Other changes at Primark
Sadly it’s not all good news at Primark.
The discount chain confirmed it will close its first store in a decade.
Primark will shut its branch in the Orchards Shopping Centre in Dartford next year – although an exact date has yet to be confirmed.
The store is closing due to the “significant” repair work required in the building.
The branch’s 53 employees could also be at risk and Primark has confirmed they are due to enter a period of consultation over the closure.
Primark has more than 190 UK stores and employs more than 30,000 people.
Meanwhile, the chain opened its first standalone homeware store in the UK.
The shop in Manchester’s Trafford Palazzo is filled with household essentials, including cotton bedding, towels, soft furnishings, ceramics, and even flat-pack furniture.
Meanwhile, Primark shoppers are also anticipating the launch of its app, which will arrive in the UK in the next 18 months.
Primark has already launched its app in Italy and Ireland, which allows shoppers to browse products, check stock availability in store and save items so they can buy them later.
Plus, Primark rolled out its click-and-collect service earlier this year.
Shoppers can use the service to order items from the Primark website and collect them in store.
It is now available at 187 stores across the UK.
Retail pain in 2025
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024, when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
