Shoppers are turning to Shein - but some still can't leave Primark

Primark has long been a staple of UK high streets, luring in shoppers with low-priced clothes, accessories and homeware.

But in its UK and Ireland stores, like-for-like sales - a key metric in the retail industry - were down 3.1% in the year to September, which it attributed to a "weak" consumer environment and fewer people buying winter clothes during last year's mild autumn.

As online stores like Shein and Vinted continue to attract young shoppers, does Primark face a fight to remain relevant - or is it just fine?

But as shoppers queued to get into the store, protesters screamed "Shame!" at them. The critics were calling for a boycott of the brand because of the environmental impact of fast fashion and working conditions in its factories.

Just over an hour after the new store opened, the French government also confirmed it was initiating proceedings to suspend Shein's website, after prosecutors said they were investigating the company over childlike sex dolls found on its website.

Paris prosecutors are also investigating three other platforms - Temu, AliExpress and Wish.

Allegations surrounding the sale of childlike sex dolls on Shein first came to light from France's anti-fraud office. Shein has promised to co-operate fully.

In a statement, the retailer said it had already temporarily suspended listings from independent third-party vendors.

With Shein specialising in delivering clothes to your door, Primark does offer click-and-collect services in its nearly 200 UK stores - but not deliveries.

Some high-street retailers have been struggling in the UK, but Primark has largely bucked the trend - it's closing a store in Dartford, Kent, next year, which reports say will be its first store closure in a decade. It also opened dedicated Primark Home stores in Belfast and Manchester.

Primark relies on its customers shopping in bulk, Mr Stevenson says. "You might be going in for one thing, but you end up buying seven things that you hadn't really thought about," he says. This doesn't happen as much with online shopping, he says.

Would Primark's sales be boosted if it did offer delivery? Mr Stevenson is sceptical, saying "it doesn't feel like they're losing out by not doing that", but that it could be an option in future.

"If you wanted to buy a couple of things from Primark for £5 each, are you going to pay 50% of that in delivery charge?" he asks. "Because buying £10 of stuff is going to cost me £5 to get it tomorrow."

Primark's spokesperson said that its online model was a "deliberate choice to streamline operations and pass the savings directly to customers".

Though Primark's like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland are down, "I absolutely don't think they're doing badly," says Mr Stevenson, the Peel Hunt analyst. Its UK and Ireland market share has grown, according to data from market-research company Kantar.

And its total sales globally in the year to September were up 1% compared to the previous year as it opened more stores in Europe and the US.

For some shoppers, Primark will always have a hold on them. "I absolutely love Primark," says Khloe Lightholder, a 34-year-old childcare worker from Essex.

She says Primark is "actually quite good quality for the price" and she visits every few months for a couple of hours, usually spending £200 or more on shoes, bags, perfume and homeware. She sets herself a monthly budget, "but every time I go to Primark that budget is out of the window".

How much of a threat Shein and other budget retailers pose is an ongoing challenge, but it doesn't feel like Primark's brown shopping bags will disappear from our high streets any time soon.