Booming demand for summer clothes – including a range inspired by Netflix hit show Bridgerton – boosted business at Primark.
Bosses at the high street chain said floral bodices and chemises influenced by the Regency-era streaming series were flying off the shelves.
And women are even snapping up nightwear from the range to wear at parties and other events such as weddings.
Corsets for £12 and a £20 nightie have proved particularly popular, helping to push sales at Primark up by 13 per cent to £2billion in the three months to May 27.
Group revenues at Primark’s owner Associated British Foods (ABF), whose food and ingredients brands include Kingsmill bread, Ryvita crackers and Twinings tea, rose 16 per cent to £4.7billion.
On trend: Primark bosses said floral bodices and chemises influenced by the Regency-era Netflix series Bridgerton were flying off the shelves
In a bullish trading update, the firm now expects profits to be ‘moderately ahead’ of the £1.4billion it made last year. It had thought profits would be ‘broadly in line’ with the previous 12 months.
The shares fell 0.8 per cent, or 126p, to 1937p yesterday.
Finance director Eoin Tonge said women have started to wear chemises – traditionally an undergarment – at parties after ‘seeing a good product and finding an alternative use for it’.
He said men have adopted a more casual approach by opting for summer beach shorts for more occasions, and added: ‘Bright colours are more the norm now for men because of the move to casual, and casual being more accepted.’
He said suitcases were ‘the gift that keeps on giving’ with sales up 55 per cent as shoppers stock up for sorely-missed holidays.
Sales were ‘supported by higher average selling prices’, although consumers still head to Primark as a ‘destination for value’ after it pledged to not hike prices again until November at the earliest, Tonge said.
Strong sales helped the budget fashion retailer brush off cost of living concerns, with Tonge saying the firm was ‘pleasantly surprised that the consumer hasn’t really struggled’.
But he said: ‘I don’t think we are out of the woods as the Bank of England recently increased rates and inflation is still high.
‘We’ve been pleased with how the consumer has behaved over the past nine months in spite of what we feared.’
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: ‘The warmer weather has seen a surge of shopping at Primark as customers piled baskets high with new summer styles.
‘These upbeat results showed that the company’s lower price points are a big draw as belts are tightened.
‘It’s also fresh evidence of consumer resilience amid the pain of high inflation, with shoppers defying expectations of drawing their purse-strings tighter.’
The high street chain has enjoyed a boom after shoppers flocked back to physical shops after the pandemic while online rivals at a similar price point – such as Boohoo and Asos – have been suffering in recent months.
Primark does not sell items through its website but has continued to roll out its latest online feature in Italy, Spain, the United States and France, allowing customers to check stock availability in stores.
Primark is also hoping to reap the rewards of another hit on the screens this summer with a collaboration with Barbie owner Mattel ahead of the film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, released next month.
