Primark is set to slash costs on hundreds of favourite products as competition from Temu, Shein and Vinted hots up. Last week, Primark confirmed it would cut prices on retail items such as womenswear, menswear and kidswear, as the high street chain aims to “reaffirm its place” as the home of value.

For women, Primark’s velvet plush leggings will now be priced at just £6, with men able to pick up cosy hoodies from £9 each. It comes after customers have complained about Primark’s pricing, with one student claiming that the shop has “definitely got more expensive”.

The company has suffered a drop in sales, reporting a 2.2% fall in like-for-like sales during its third quarter ending in June. The business has blamed a “challenging consumer environment”, with the rise of new online retailers likely the biggest threat.

Chinese company Shein has become the latest player, with the business selling dresses for as little as £3. Customers can also secure budget deals on second-hand clothing on Vinted, while popular budget store Temu also sells clothes at a discount.

Online stores can simply undercut retailers because they do not pay for store locations and some import duties, meaning the customer can pay substantially less. Customers have taken to social media, with one user, @CramberryCheese1997, explaining the difficult position that Primark has found itself in.

They said: “Primark has found itself in an awkward middle ground. It used to be the dirt cheap place for clothes. But now you got people buying their really cheap stuff from Shein and Temu, and you’ve got the likes of Next and M&S sitting a class above.” [sic]

@GodofThunder888 added: “Primark isn’t the cheapest anymore, and while not expensive, when prices are very close to shops like New Look and H&M, why not just go for better quality?”

But Primark is looking to fight back, with Matt Houston, Chief Customer Officer, explaining that new budget price tags would ensure the business would help shape the future of “affordable fashion”.

He said: “Value matters to customers today more than ever and for more than fifty years customers have trusted us as the destination on the high street for great value fashion at prices you can’t find anywhere else.

“We want to continue to lead the way in shaping what affordable fashion looks like and give our customers the confidence that they can always trust Primark for the very best prices but without compromising on style or on quality.”

A spokesperson for Primark told Express.co.uk: “We know value matters more than ever to our customers and we’re responding to that consumer demand. Ahead of autumn/winter we reviewed every price point across ranges to ensure that customers can trust that they are getting the best value when they shop in Primark.”

Morrisons will be increasing hourly pay at its UK stores from late October as part of a three-stage uplift. In May, the supermarket chain announced that a proposed pay deal for store and manufacturing workers had been resoundingly approved by the USDAW union, which negotiates pay for large parts of the workforce.

It opened the door for implementing pay increases for all eligible hourly-paid staff in three phases. The pay boost began with hourly rates for all Customer Assistants rising to £12.81 (backdated to March 30), with all other established hourly rates for eligible roles increasing by 10p. From Monday, July 20, 2026, customer assistants at Morrisons stores will see pay increase from £12.81 to £13.00, with all other established hourly rates for the other roles rising by 19p.

Then, from Monday, October 26, 2026, the hourly rate will climb further, from £13.00 to £13.11, with pay for the other roles upped by 11p.

In the May announcement, Morrisons said that, in addition, all eligible hourly-paid colleagues would receive a one-off fixed payment of between £25 and £175 based on their contractual hours.

Morrisons’ Group People Director, Jodie Keating, said at the time: “We’re pleased that we can now implement the pay proposal and increase pay for our colleagues to reward them for the contribution they make to our business.

“I would like to thank all our colleagues for everything they continue to do for Morrisons.”

It comes as Morrisons’ supermarket rivals also upped workers’ pay this year in a bid to retain and attract staff, as UK households continue to wrestle with cost-of-living pressures.

From March 1, Lidl increased hourly pay for store assistants outside London to £13.45, a rate that rises to £14.00 depending on length of service.

In London, entry-level store workers had their pay upped to £14.80 per hour, while the hourly rate for experienced staff can rise up to £15.35.

The following month, Store Assistants working at Aldi’s UK branches also saw their pay increase (to £13.50 per hour nationally, with those working inside in the M25 getting £14.88).

These pay rates rise to £14.47 and £15.20 respectively based on length of service. Aldi said at the time that the change would benefit 28,000 hourly-paid store workers.

Other major retailers that increased hourly pay in 2026 include Sainsbury’s, Primark, and John Lewis.