Truworths expands child ranges, launches Primark value chain
Clothing retailer Truworths plans to open 15-20 new value stores in the next few months as it experiments with the lowerincome market.
The new stores, to be called Primark — no relation to the UK fashion and homeware retailer of the same name — will be located either in existing Truworths-owned stores or in stand-alone sites.
Truworths CEO Michael Mark said that the “mass SA consumer market” would not confuse it with the large fashion and homeware store in the UK of the same name.
“It’s pretty established that the name Primark is not really well-known by the SA customer, or even the concept of the amazing business internationally.”
The move to the low-income market pits Truworths against Mr Price and TFG’S Jet. It comes as SA retailers are moving to offer clothing at lower prices to consumers feeling the pinch in a weakening economy.
TFG, owner of Foschini, American Swiss and The Fix, bought discounter Jet in 2020, which lifted sales in its most recent results. Mr Price, already a discount fashion brand, in 2020 bought Power Fashion, a retailer serving the very low income market.
Truworths owns Identity, a 20-year-old store it started which sells clothing to a younger market at prices about 70% of Truworths’ prices.
Primark’s clothing will be cheaper than Identity’s but the company said it did not think the new brand would directly compete with it.
During a webinar on Friday, Truworths new deputy MD Sarah Proudfoot said: “I think the target market that we are obviously appealing to in the Primark brand is intentionally obviously cheaper, but also the fashion direction is slightly different.”
The prices of Primark clothes will be about 35 percent to 40 percent of Truworths’ prices and Primark will sell a narrower, locally produced fashion range that it describes as youthful and fashionable.