We visited the newest store from a cheap European clothing chain that's invading America and saw why H&M and Forever 21 should be terrified
The new store is located at Kings Plaza mall in Brooklyn. This is the ninth Primark store to open in the US and the second in the state of New York.
From our experience, its older, European sister stores are usually more chaotic than this new location.
We were instantly impressed. The store is easy to navigate, and while there is a ton of clothing, it doesn't feel too squashed in.
There was a mix of basic items such as jeans, which cost between $7 and $22 ...
... as well as more trendy, seasonal clothing.
The store offers its own lower-cost versions of other brands.
Swimwear was front-and-center in the store. We spotted bikini tops for as little at $2.50.
Primark has its own low-cost beauty collection, which launched in 2014. Here you can find lipsticks from $2. Cosmopolitan has compared these products to Kim Kardashian's beauty line, KKW.
Source: Cosmopolitan
Womenswear is spread across two floors. We headed upstairs to check out its lingerie and shoe sections.
There were a ton of bras and panties, starting at $4.50 for bralettes and around $10 for more structured underwire bras.
In some parts of the store, the quality seemed to be in-line with H&M, only cheaper.
This new competition in the US could pose a big risk for fast-fashion retailers, especially H&M, which has struggled in recent years.
While Primark doesn't compete with other fast-fashion stores such as Zara on style, its cheap basics pose a large threat to H&M.
Source: Business Insider
While this store isn't necessarily reflective of the entire chain, it did feel very spacious.
There was a large kids' and babies' section ...
... where some of the clothing was specifically targeted to the location.
This seven-pack of 100% cotton baby clothes costs $12. At H&M, a similar pack costs $24.99.
Menswear occupied most of the third-floor space.
It had a similar layout to womenswear — it was stocked with cheap basics along with more expensive, trendy items.
These men's suits cost $52 for a jacket and $25 for trousers. We hunted for a label with material information, but it didn't seem to have one.
The biggest bargains were in men's chinos. We spotted a selection that was priced at just $10.
There were plenty of cheap men's shoes, but while the quality looked good from afar, up close, they seemed to be very rigid.
The remaining area of the third floor was made up with a homeware section with a mix of bathroom, bedding, and kitchen items, as well as some more decorative pieces.
Overall, the shopping experience was great. The store itself is bright, spacious, and organized, and the assortment is cheap, and in some cases, trendy.
The biggest threat it poses to other retailers in the US is in the affordability of its basics, which threaten to undercut low-cost stores such as H&M and Old Navy, both of which had neighboring spots in the mall.
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