Primark will use its flagship Birmingham and Manchester stores for the new resale concession – WornWell – which will allow customers to shop branded and non-branded vintage and one-off items of clothing, giving them access to vintage and new, at affordable prices.

The Vintage Wholesale Company supplies quality, used clothing in the UK and Europe. It also runs Poorboy, an established vintage and second-hand clothing boutique based in Hull, Northern England. 

WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company will stock 70s, 80s and 90s trends including denim jumpsuits and shirts, spaghetti tops, printed sweaters, puffa jackets and crazy pattern shirts. Brands will include Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Converse, Levi, and Dr. Martens.

Resale with WornWell is the latest addition to Primark’s in-store offering that includes 22 beauty, nail and hair studios, and 32 food and drink outlets globally, as the retailer continually enhances the in-store experience for customers.

 “Vintage clothing has increased in popularity over the last few years, and we know that our customers love creating unique looks by mixing old fashion with new,” said Jermaine Lapwood, head of innovation and future trends at Primark. “This concession will be the nostalgic bridge between generations, bringing curated retro fashion at great value.  

“We want to see clothes loved for longer and kept in circulation – we’ve got big plans within our own business to give clothes a longer life, and we’re thrilled to be supporting an independent business who is working to do this.” 

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Riccardo Seaton, director of WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company, added: “We are delighted to be opening WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company at Primark. We take great pride in sourcing high quality vintage clothing from around the world, and we’re excited to expand our business and offer once-off pieces of timeless fashion to customers in Birmingham and Manchester.  

“Each item is unique. We want to inspire our customers to express their individuality and discover a love of vintage through wearing our clothes.”  

GlobalData analyst, Pippa Stephens, told Just Style that Primark’s venture into vintage clothing will allow it to capitalise on the outperformance of the resale apparel market, with consumers now increasingly preferring to purchase second-hand due to it being more sustainable.

“Since Primark is often criticised on its sustainable credentials due to primarily offering low-cost fast fashion, this move will help it to improve perceptions among shoppers. With the new vintage range including items from other brands, as well as pre-owned Primark pieces, it will also encourage more people into stores and help it to gain new customers.”

The WornWell by the Vintage Wholesale Company concession has opened in Primark’s Birmingham High Street store this week and is expected open in its Manchester Market Street store in the coming weeks. 

This week, Primark rolled out its lowest priced t-shirts under its Primark Cares label in response to consumers facing a “crisis of conscience” as cost pressures mount.