Primark has mentioned it must up its deal with worth and higher talk its place because the “unique worth disruptor” to re-engage customers, admitting current advertising and marketing efforts have concentrated an excessive amount of on vogue.
Whereas the enterprise mentioned paid media, together with its first built-in marketing campaign and TV advert, ‘In Denim We Can’, have delivered “sturdy returns”, Primark’s interim CEO Eoin Tonge described the success from its advertising and marketing spend as a “blended bag”.
Primark has mentioned it must up its deal with worth and higher talk its place because the “unique worth disruptor” to re-engage customers, admitting current advertising and marketing efforts have concentrated an excessive amount of on vogue.
Whereas the enterprise mentioned paid media, together with its first built-in marketing campaign and TV advert, ‘In Denim We Can’, have delivered “sturdy returns”, Primark’s interim CEO Eoin Tonge described the success from its advertising and marketing spend as a “blended bag”.
He mentioned there’s “a bit of bit an excessive amount of on the style aspect of illustration of the model, and… possibly not sufficient on worth”, in a name with traders reporting proprietor Related British Meals’ (ABF) annual outcomes immediately (4 November).
“Essentially, we’re a worth disruptor, and we’ve acquired to remind individuals of that on a regular basis. So, I believe there in all probability is a bit of bit extra stability [needed]. We’ve to get it there,” Tonge mentioned, including that the top-line promoting of the denim marketing campaign “appeared a bit of bit too vogue”.
Because the buyer journey is now extra “fragmented” and “complicated”, Tonge acknowledged Primark should work tougher to assist clients “rediscover [its] worth disruptor edge”.
“Primark is the unique worth disruptor, and we stay that immediately. We have to make it possible for it’s at all times entrance of thoughts for our clients,” he added, claiming that that is achieved by integrating worth proposition with buyer engagement, digital capabilities, and price optimisation.
Going ahead you’ll see us actually doubling down on speaking our worth proposition to clients and getting much more disruptive to remind them what Primark is all about.
Eoin Tonge, Primark
ABF “elevated funding and deal with digital buyer engagement”, together with the rollout of click-and-collect to all 187 of its British shops. Basket dimension for click-and-collect was round 25% greater than the UK common, and one in 4 click-and-collect clients had not shopped with Primark for at the very least two years previous to their first click-and-collect buy.
Tonge claimed that funding into the web site has led to 24% of consumers spending extra time on the location. Primark plans to roll out it app within the UK this yr.
Strengthened product provide
Womenswear was additionally credited with having a “strengthened product provide”, with work executed to “enhance the notion and resonance” of its “buyer worth proposition” by way of the ‘By no means Fundamental’ and ‘Main Finds’ campaigns.
Tonge credited the success of In Denim We Can, stating denim gross sales rose 12% within the UK following the marketing campaign, alongside a optimistic influence on model metrics together with consideration and model reappraisal.
ABF mentioned it expects “to combine and optimise [its] use of brand name and advertising and marketing campaigns to drive like-for-likes gross sales progress”, with Tonge including that elevated income from paid media was up 30% and elevated effectivity from paid media was up 5% for the yr ending 13 September 2025.
“Going ahead, you’ll see us actually doubling down on speaking our worth proposition to clients and getting much more disruptive to remind them what Primark is all about,” mentioned Tonge, including that this goes hand in hand with speaking a “differentiated high quality product providing”.
He additionally mentioned he feels there’s “rather more” the enterprise can do to “leverage the advantage of [its] sturdy relationships with key manufacturers in tradition, together with Disney and Netflix”, and acknowledged that it had been a “more durable yr” for well being, magnificence and residential.
“There’s a lot to go after as we proceed to combine and optimise our model and advertising and marketing method,” he added, suggesting the enterprise may also develop its advertising and marketing efforts past the UK to different markets within the coming yr.
Wanting forward, the group is anticipating the buyer setting to stay “subdued” for Primark, however is concentrated on strengthening “buyer worth proposition” by way of its “product provide, worth, and worth notion, and digital buyer engagement with a view to driving like-for-like gross sales”, and roll out UK-based initiatives to the remainder of the world.
Primark has developed in its advertising and marketing and model technique all through the previous yr. It added digital to the chief buyer officer function with the appointment of Matt Houston in July, following the departure of former advertising and marketing boss Michelle McEttrick, and in its September buying and selling assertion, it claimed its “reinvestment” within the shopper by way of worth and advertising and marketing made it “competitively properly positioned” to succeed.
Splitting out Primark
ABF additionally mentioned it plans to look into splitting the retail and grocery companies up, resulting in extra deal with Primark as a standalone entity.
George Weston, ABF CEO, mentioned the Primark enterprise is “in mid-flight on plenty of excellent work”, significantly round “enhancing worth notion and enhancing product provide”, with the group at present within the choice course of for a full-time Primark CEO.
In keeping with Weston, splitting the companies may additionally repair the difficulty of “oversight” of Primark, which he described as “now a really massive and really sophisticated enterprise” .
Primark’s gross sales grew 1% over the yr, with its retailer rollout programme contributing 4% to progress. But the UK and Eire noticed gross sales decline 1% and like-for-like gross sales drop by 3.1%, regardless of Primark rising its market share to six.8%. The UK and Eire accounted for 45% of the model’s 2025 gross sales.
A “cautious shopper sentiment” was additionally cited as the rationale for a 2.5% like-for-like gross sales decline in H1, and a pair of% gross sales decline in H2 for the group. But Weston acknowledged that the model nonetheless had energy in “the continued differentiation of Primark worth proposition, providing unbeatable costs for nice high quality clothes”.
