Primark boosted by Rita Ora despite TikTok criticism

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Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) has said a boost in profits is partly down to recent collections with celebrities such as Rita Ora, despite the fact they have come in for criticism online.

The owner of the fast fashion brand reported a 43% rise in profits before tax, reaching £1.9bn over the year to 14 September.

It said, however, "challenging weather" had hit the number of people visiting its shops between April and June.

It comes as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) suggested that shoppers were holding back on spending on bigger-ticket items until the "Black Friday" sales.

The Primark owner also said it was hopeful that sales would rise for the low-cost brand towards the end of the year.

"We think that Christmas is going to be good," George Weston, chief executive of Associated British Foods, told the Reuters news agency.

Overall, Primark sales across the UK and Ireland grew by 0.7%, stripping out the effect of new shops opening.

It said that sportswear, jumpers and pyjamas had done particularly well among its womenswear ranges.

It said that tie-ups with celebrities like Rita Ora had "contributed strongly to growth".

The pop star has faced some criticism online, however, for several items in her Primark collections.

One such video states "Rita Ora's Primark collection but it gets progressively worse" and shows several items in the range being reduced.

That particular video has over five million views and 429 million likes.

Other TikTok users have jumped on the trend to criticise other products including a red-hooded hat that's been likened to those seen in the TV adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale book.

Other users have posted positive reviews of the clothes, saying that they were on-trend.

The fashion giant said that it had seen a strong start to the sales of its autumn and winter ranges, despite wetter weather washing out those of summer shoes and beachwear in the UK and Ireland.

Primark saw a 6% growth in sales in the year overall and saw shirts and leisurewear items do well among men.

It comes as the British Retail Consortium has warned of a "disappointing" October though.

Its latest figures suggest that total retail sales across the UK increased by 0.6% year-on-year in October, a drop against 2.6% seen in October 2023.

"This was part driven by half-term falling a week later this year, depressing the October figures, and November sales will likely see more of a boost," its chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE said.

Ms Dickinson suggested that the Budget and rising energy bills might have "spooked some consumers" and blamed more mild weather recently for delaying winter purchases of items like coats and jackets.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, online retail giant Asos reported mounting losses, reaching £393m in the year to 1 September.

The group's turnaround plan has seen it reduce stock and launch clearance sales to shift old ranges.

Chloe Collins, head of apparel at research firm GlobalData, suggested that the retailer has failed to "combat the enormous threat" from other companies include the likes of Shein, as well as the rise of second-hand clothing markets like Vinted.

But Asos boss Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte said there were some "green shoots" in the performance of its new clothes ranges in recent months.

"We will do things in the right way and we're going to be patient," he said.