Secrets of the Primark empire – from SOS ‘sweatshop’ messages and why you should think twice before buying their dupes
FROM designer dupes and Disney collections to trendy homeware, Primark has built up a reputation for being the cheap ‘one stop shop’ selling all the latest must-have buys at irresistibly low prices.
While the quality is often criticised, when you can buy an entire catwalk-inspired outfit for less than a meal out it’s not surprising over 2 million shoppers flock to its 450 stores every single week.
Founded in Ireland in 1969, Primark is a huge, international powerhouse in the world of high street shopping, employing more than 80,000 people in 17 countries across Europe and the US.
Boasting annual sales of £9bn, more and more shoppers are looking at their favourite designers and celebs for inspiration - and then turning to Primark to find bargain ‘knock-off’ versions for less.
And due to the cost of living crisis and rising bills, it's little wonder the store - affectionately dubbed ‘Primarni’ by those looking to get the designer look on a shoestring budget - is so popular.
But beyond the affordable, accessible clothes and accessories lies a troubling, darker side, and the brand has had more than its fair share of controversy and negative press to contend with.
Most recently, chief executive Paul Marchant stepped down over an investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour towards a female member of staff.
Marchant admitted an “error of judgement”, apologised to the individual, the company said, resigning with immediate effect.
Primark sells tens of thousands of garments every day but there seems to be less emphasis on quality.
On Trustpilot, Primark’s UK site scores two stars out of five, with 54 per cent of reviewers giving it one.
Overall, while the UK fashion industry is one of the largest sectors in the country, contributing £62 billion to the economy in 2024 alone and supporting 1.3 million jobs, the fast fashion business comes at a price.
Addressing the main issues, Alex Crumbie from the says: “Fast fashion is ‘fast’ in a number of senses.
"The changes in fashion are fast, the rate of production is fast, the customer’s decision to purchase is fast, delivery is fast; and garments are worn fast – usually only a few times before being discarded.
“Fast fashion has had devastating consequences, from its reliance on plastic fabrics and its enormous carbon footprint to its erosion of workers’ rights.
“Fast fashion is cheap because workers are not paid adequately. Clothes are poorly made, widely purchased, rarely worn and quickly thrown away.
“In order to offer clothes at ultra low prices, fast fashion brands need their costs to be low.
"One of the main ways of doing this is to drive down the wages of garment workers in the supply chain. Cheap, synthetic fabrics are also used in order to keep costs low."
Here we take a closer look at just some of the scandals Primark has had to overcome to retain its crown as one of the country's most popular fashion retailers...
‘SOS! SOS! SOS!’
As is the case across the fashion industry more generally, there have also been serious concerns regarding workers’ rights - and not just overseas.
In the UK, Primark had to pay back over £230,000 to 10,000 members of staff for paying them below the minimum wage after charging staff for uniforms.
Addressing the 2017 issue, a spokesperson for Primark, owned by Associated British Foods, said its uniform policy changed the previous year, adding it "had reviewed its procedures in order to avoid this situation re-occurring".
While that's alarming, questions around conditions of workers overseas have been even more worrying.
In 2014 a shopper claimed she found a "cry for help" note hidden inside a pair of trousers she’d bought in Primark’s Belfast store, alleging slave labour conditions.
For years, brands have ‘chased the cheap needle’ around the world, seeking countries with the lowest labour standards so that garment workers can be easily exploited.
Alex Crumbie
Translated into English, the note - which was unverified - read: "SOS! SOS! SOS! We are prisoners at Xiangnan jail in Hubei, China.
"For a long time, we have been producing clothing for export. We work for 15 hours each day.
“What we eat is even worse than food for pigs and dogs. The work we do is similar to (the hard work) that oxen and horses do.”
Speaking at the time, a spokesperson for Primark said the claims were “strange” and highlighted they’d started an "immediate, detailed investigation".
They added the firm "actively investigates all allegations of breaches of its code of conduct immediately to ensure the well-being of all workers in its supply chain".
'Chasing the cheap needle'
The main concerns when it comes to workers rights involves the third party factories where the majority of clothes are produced in countries such as China, Bangladesh and India.
It’s a huge, industry-wide issue. The Ethical Fashion Report published in 2023 found that the vast majority of clothing companies (84 per cent) were not sourcing from any factories which paid a living wage.
And even if they did, the living wage within some countries is not enough to comfortably get by, many campaigners argue.
In 2023 the minimum wage in Bangladesh was set at 12,500 BDT (about £80) a month, with staff in a factory supplying Primark in Myanmar reporting being paid as little as 1,200 kyat an hour (60p) to work overtime.
Alex Crumbie from the Ethical Consumer says: “For years, brands have ‘chased the cheap needle’ around the world, seeking countries with the lowest labour standards so that garment workers can be easily exploited.
“Worker exploitation is an essential part of the fast fashion model. If an item is very cheap, chances are that the person who produced it was paid little.”
Dying in the name of fashion
In April 2013, 1,134 people were killed and over 2,000 injured when the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, where clothing was being made for various international big brands including Primark, collapsed.
Primark went on to launch a compensation programme and provided financial support totalling over $14m to victims and their families.
While conditions are said to have improved since then, campaigners still say brands need to do more to improve workers’ rights globally.
In 2021 up to 1,000 garment workers in Myanmar, who produced clothing for Primark, claimed they were locked inside their factory for several hours by supervisors who tried to prevent them from joining anti-coup protests, according to .
A spokesperson for GY Sen - the workers’ employer - denied allegations, and Primark said it launched an investigation, stating it would not place any further orders with the factory until the inquiry was completed.
‘A step too far’
While shoppers know and love Primark for ‘dupe’ versions of their favourite big brands, the store has been criticised for stealing designs and ideas from small, independent brands too.
In 2019, nail artist Jerri Cook threatened legal action after the retailer released a set of fake nails, priced at £2.50 which bared more than a striking resemblance to her own £14.99 design.
She said at the time: "I do everything myself - design, creation, packaging, marketing, photography, social media, customer service, you name it.
"That's what makes it even harder when you find that a handcrafted piece of your own art is replicated and sold for £2.50 on the high street."
In 2022, small independent jewellery brand July Child called the retailer out on Instagram.
The following year, Manchester brand Hikerdelic hit out at Primark saying it'd gone "a step too far" after spotting similarities between its eye-catching sun logo and a design featured on a Primark kids' hoody.
‘Fantastically offensive’ fashion designs
Meanwhile, some designs, have proved highly controversial for other reasons.
In 2017, for example, the shop removed a T-shirt from sale referencing a line from the season six finale of zombie TV show The Walking Dead, which saw a character recite the rhyme ‘Eeny meeny miny moe’ whilst brandishing a bloody bat looped with razor wire.
The item was pulled after a customer accused them of racism and made a formal complaint, labelling it “fantastically offensive”.
Another horrified shopper previously accused Primark of "sexualising children" after spotting £3.50 'hot pants' in her local store aimed at babies aged 0-3 months old.
She said at the time: "I just think they are sick. What on earth were Primark thinking?
"I just stopped when I saw them and though these cannot be serious - these tiny hot pants are purposely sexualising babies and that is disgusting.”
Fast fashion fix? Finding an alternative
The UK fashion industry is one of the largest sectors in the country, contributing £62 billion to the economy in 2024 alone - but with fast, throwaway clothing culture comes a whole host of problems.
Dr Alana James Associate Professor in Fashion at Northumbria University says: "Global supply chains and the industry’s reliance on finite resources and cheap labour result in social non-compliance and significant environmental impacts, [including] 92 million tonnes of waste annually.
"The fast fashion business model, first developed in the early 2000s, is often held responsible for the increase in consumer demand for high quantities of low-quality clothing.
"This has been exacerbated with the rise of the ultra-fast fashion industry which facilitates B2C retail (business to consumer) through online platforms, like Shein and Pretty Little Thing.
"If real change is to happen, more people must begin to take a proactive approach and act in reflection of their moral values."
Worried about what you're buying? Here, Dr James suggests small lifestyle changes that can create a big sustainable impact...
- Think before you buy – is a new item really necessary or could you use something you already have or consider an alternative through borrowing, swapping, thrifting, upcycling or making.
- Shop by your value – each pound spent in a store acts a small vote in favour of their practices, ensure that your money is spent somewhere you would be happy to support
- Buy a pre-loved item – with online platforms such as Ebay and Vinted, second hand purchasing makes for an easy alternative to purchasing new products
- Dispose of clothing responsibly – pass on to a friend or family member, sell, donate, reuse, upcycle or recycle and never just throw clothing in the bin.
Growing demand for ‘quality and ethics’
Despite ethical fears, there is hope for real change, and in recent years Primark has claimed to be working to make more sustainable fashion affordable for everyone through its Primark Cares strategy.
Its website says it's "a multi-year programme that focuses on giving clothing a longer life, protecting life on the planet and supporting the livelihoods of the people who make Primark clothes".
Matt Hopkins, founder of, a retail platform supporting over 15,000 small and sustainable brands, says: “Primark has built a reputation for delivering trend-led fashion at unbeatable prices, which resonates with many consumers, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.
“However, we are increasingly seeing that consumers are becoming more conscious of how and where they spend.
“While affordability is a factor, there’s growing demand for brands with purpose, story, and transparency — areas where independent brands shine.
“Primark’s scale makes it hard to avoid the wider issues associated with fast fashion — supply chain complexity, labour concerns, and the environmental impact of high-volume production. That said, they are engaging with these challenges.
“The days of consumers blindly accepting the fast fashion model are numbered — there is a growing demand for transparency, quality and ethics.”
