Primark launches multibrand swap shops across UK

Primark is to launch a swap shop initiative for customers to exchange pre-owned and vintage clothing in-store, “in celebration of London Fashion Week”.

It’s the first such move for the retailer and is happening in partnership with circular clothing company Verte, which will open a limited run of pop-ups in thr weeks ahead in select Primark stores across the UK, including London, Manchester and Birmingham.

The debut event start on 13 September at Primark in Westfield Stratford, London, as a part of London Fashion Week’s City-Wide Celebration 2024. It will run for three days.

After that, there will be a two-day swap shop in Primark’s Manchester Market Street store from 16 September.

The Primark on Birmingham High Street will have its own two-day swap shop from 16 October.

So how will it work? Swappers can bring up to five items of adult clothing, bags, hats or scarves of any brand in good condition, to be assessed and swapped for digital tokens on the Verte app.

Those tokens can be used to buy a pre-owned item of clothing from Verte’s collection. And a “special gold token is awarded to luxury clothing items presented in almost-new condition, which can be traded exclusively for other gold items”.

Any un-swapped clothes will be kept for the next swap shop event, donated to local charities in the area or placed in Primark’s textile donation boxes, available in all stores across the UK.

The company also said that “swappers are encouraged to register for the event in advance to avoid disappointment”.

Director of Primark Cares, Lynne Walker said: “Welcoming Verte into our stores will help us to better engage with a community of like-minded fashion lovers who really care about where their clothes will go to next. We hope our pop-ups will encourage more people to participate in the growing circular fashion economy.”

The retailer has been making pre-owned clothing more accessible to its customers in-store since 2022. It’s partnered with the Vintage Wholesale Company to offer vintage clothes via Wornwell, which is currently in 10 stores across the UK.

And the ‘Love it for Longer’ repair workshop programme runs all year round and teaches shoppers basic repair and sewing techniques.