Following today’s release of Primark’s figures for the Q3 ending 20 June 2026; Chloe Tedford-Jones, apparel analyst at GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform, offers her view: “Primark’s Q3 sales performance was fuelled by international store openings, with overall growth on a reported basis of 4.3% to £2.9bn tempered by declining like-for-like (l-f-l) sales. Low consumer sentiment weighed on demand internationally, and in the UK, weak sales in April and May offset a stronger March. Primark has made no change to its full-year profit expectations, estimating operating profit margin to sit around 10%, although this is well below historical peaks. Primark confirmed it remains on track to be spun off from the rest of the ABF portfolio by the end of 2027, and also announced that Lucy Slinger will join as the new CFO in September 2026.
“Primark’s UK-only Q3 total sales saw 1% growth with l-f-l sales falling 0.1%; sales were boosted by positive June trading due to warm weather and successful marketing campaigns, such as ‘Shockingly Chic’ and ‘The Get Away’. Primark’s UK & Ireland performance was softer, with Q3 l-f-l growth falling 0.2%. Although softer demand in the UK & Ireland dragged on performance, a sharper product range, paired with clearer pricing and fresh digital investments, such as the app, launched in April 2026, and expanded Click & Collect, have helped stabilise growth. Yet, even with these improvements, flatter year-to-date l-f-l growth and a widening performance gap between UK-only and UK & Ireland totals expose lingering softness in Ireland, and underscore the risks of a store-led model in a retail world increasingly dominated by online channels.
“Continental Europe was Primark’s weakest regional area of growth because of low consumer confidence; l-f-l sales fell 3.6% in Q3 and total sales declined 1%. In contrast, in the US, total sales surged 16% in Q3, with YTD growth at 14%, largely driven by new store openings such as the highly anticipated Manhattan New York store. This came despite ongoing volatility in tariff regimes and consumer sentiment. While store expansion remains a vital lever for growth, reliance on expansion rather than underlying l-f-l momentum highlights the vulnerability of weaker markets and the need for Primark to stimulate consumer demand through value messaging, sharper marketing, and deeper engagement.”
