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Battle of Primark: rumours of sale cause store chaos
Independent, The (London), Apr 6, 2007 by Martin Hickman
Public order broke down on London's main shopping street yesterday as hundreds of bargain hunters scrambled into a new Primark store mistakenly thinking there was a half-price sale.
Managers were forced to bring forward the official opening of the 70,000 sq ft shop on Oxford Street by 15 minutes because of the crush developing on the pavement outside.
Many shoppers appeared to believe false rumours on the internet that the budget clothes chain had slashed its already low prices for the official opening of the flagship store.
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As its doors opened at 9.45am, shoppers tumbled over each other onto the carpet, risking a dangerous situation. Security guards appealed for the remaining crowd to stay back as people tried to get into the store. Fights and scuffles reportedly broke out as shoppers jostled for space.
Primark's management later confirmed that one security guard and a shop manager had been injured in the melee. "When the store opened there was a bit of a rush against the doors and a security guard and a member of the management received minor injuries as a result," said a Primark spokeswoman. "Those two members of staff were taken to hospital as a precaution."
The commotion in the West End is further evidence of the rising popularity of Primark and other "fast fashion" retailers who knock out high-street copies of catwalk trends for a few pounds. Anti- poverty charities claim that the clothes are made by workers in Bangladesh paid as little as [pound]3 for an 80-hour week in grim sweatshops without union representation. However, many fashion writers applaud the style and value for money of Primark's clothing range.
Jennifer Barr, 32, a nursing student, said the Oxford Street store was "bigger, with more variety and more clothes" than other Primark branches. "I'm a fan because you don't have to pay lots to look good," she said. "You can dress in here for a reasonable price and look good." Josepha Reynolds, 16, told the Evening Standard: "It is just so cheap here. I can't afford Topshop because it is [pound]40 for a top. You can come in here and pick one up for [pound]8. There was a rumour that everything would be half price but even though it isn't the prices are fantastic."
Owned by the conglomerate Associated British Food, Primark has 165 stores in the UK, Ireland and Spain. Made by the likes of Primark, Asda and Tesco, "value" clothes are worth [pound]7.8bn a year, about a quarter of the fashion market.
As part of a "green" overhaul, Primark sells organic cotton T- shirts and an "eco-friendly" paper carrier bag. Yesterday, a Primark director, Breege O'Donoghue, said: "We knew we were going to be busy, but this has exceeded all expectations."
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