Comment: Primark's wide appeal is a threat to all on the high street

There is no denying its incredible popularity, with half of all fashion shoppers buying at least one item of clothing, footwear or accessories from the retailer in the latest year – that is twice as many customers as H&M and 10 times more than Zara.

In fact, Primark has the second largest customer base in the fashion market behind M&S and if current trends continue, they will be equal in size within two years.

Primark has a greater share of its customers’ wardrobes than its rivals – one in five of all items bought by Primark customers in the last year come from Primark. This compares with M&S customers who buy one in six items from M&S, and Next customers who buy one in 10 items from Next.

But is Primark still reliant on younger, less well-off shoppers?

It remains an attractive retailer to the young, with just under half of its sales coming from customers aged below 35. What’s more, sales to these customers continue to increase despite the age group as a whole spending less money in the overall market. The total expenditure on fashion from under 35s has declined by 4% in the past year.

However, it is the increase in expenditure from older Primark customers, aged 45 and over, which is really making the difference between a good and a great performance. Half of Primark’s growth comes from this age group. More surprisingly still, four in ten purchases made by these customers are items for themselves rather than their children or other family members.

Primark’s remarkable performance and recent success in appealing to older shoppers means it is now in more direct competition with retailers who target older age groups. On current form, Primark will win most battles on the high street.

Ian Mitchell is head of fashion at Kantar Worldpanel