Primark reports strong growth

The success of Primark on the high street showed signs of ending today after its owner promised “excellent results” from the chain.

Associated British Foods, which also owns brands Twinings, Kingsmill and Silver Spoon, said Primark’s half-year sales were substantially ahead of last year, helped by new space and a 5% rise in like-for-like trade.

The discount fashion chain, which became known for its super-cheap clothes long before the arrival of the credit crunch, now has 187 stores following a sharp expansion in the UK and Spain in recent years.

It has opened a new distribution centre at Thrapston, Northamptonshire, in order to support further growth, which will see it open seven new sites in the next six months, including at Bristol and Cambridge.