Primark is preparing to launch home delivery in Great Britain for the first time, marking a significant shift in the value fashion retailer’s approach to ecommerce.
The retailer has acquired an automated fulfilment centre in Sheffield from Debenhams Group to support the move in a £90m cash deal, building on its existing click-and-collect operation.
Primark has historically resisted conventional ecommerce, arguing that the economics of picking, packing and delivering low-priced products made online sales difficult to operate profitably.
Its digital strategy has evolved in recent years, however, with click-and-collect progressively expanded across its UK store estate and greater investment in its website and digital customer experience.
The move into home delivery represents the next stage of that strategy and will give customers the option of having Primark products delivered directly to their homes for the first time.
The Sheffield distribution centre will provide the retailer with additional automated fulfilment capabilities as it develops the service.
Primark’s move comes as retailers increasingly look at how stores, fulfilment technology and digital channels can work together to improve the economics of ecommerce rather than treating online and physical retail as separate operations.
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