Faster, cheaper fashion

Primark’s rise comes at a tricky moment for some mainstream clothes firms, or “specialty-apparel” companies, as analysts call them. Famous American brands such as J.Crew and Abercrombie & Fitch have struggled. Gap, once the world’s leading specialty-apparel company, has had a particularly rough patch.

Another possible problem is Primark’s online business, or lack of it. Its prices are too low to justify the shipping costs of e-commerce. If consumers in America and elsewhere switch in large numbers to buying clothes through, say, social networks and messaging services, Primark might get left behind.
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In Britain, the average selling price of women’s clothes at H&M was £10.69 ($16.37) for the year to May 10th, according to Sanford C. Bernstein, a research firm. At Primark, the average selling price was £3.87.
http://www.economist.com/news/business/21663221-rapidly-rising-super-cheap-irish-clothes-retailer-prepares-conquer-america-rivals-should