Everyone was overjoyed when Asos announced a partnership with high-street chain Primark. However, Primark‘s online venture has ended since asos.com has terminated its 12-week-long trial period with the brand. Reports in the Times suggest that the collaboration ended because of the high fees Asos charges for selling on its site and “intense competition” from other labels.
Asos started selling “a very limited trial” of Primark clothing last June, making the store’s products available online for the first time. Within a week, the number of products on offer were planned to be doubled due to “phenomenal” demand, with several lines selling out. Primark‘s annual sales are expected to have increased by 22 percent in the past 12 months, making it one of the high street’s best-performing brands.
The budget chain has decided not to launch an e-commerce platform, despite speculation that the digital partnership would lead to the company’s own transactional website. John Bason, owner of the business’s parent group, Associated British Foods, said that Primark will instead focus on developing a “more consumer-focused website.“
