Bargain Primark rival launches website ahead of Liverpool megastore opening next month

A BARGAIN Primark rival has launched a website ahead of the opening of its new megastore next month. Lefties, which shares parent company Inditex with Zara, Bershka, and Pull&Bear, will open its first UK megastore in the Liverpool One shopping centre next month. A popular fashion retailer is set to open its first UK store at the end of August (stock image) Credit: Getty Zara’s sister brand Lefties will launch at Liverpool ONE at the end of August (stock image) Credit: LEFTIES The retailer will then launch at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex in early October, before opening a third branch at Gateshead’s Metrocentre the following month. But bargain hunters do not have to wait until the stores open to snap up its cut-price clothing and homeware. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Lefties has now launched online in the UK, meaning shoppers across the country can order its men’s, women’s and children’s ranges straight to their doors. The website also stocks homeware. Customers can choose free collection from a store, home delivery for £4.99 or pick-up point delivery for £3.99. All three options take between three and six working days. Lefties started life as an outlet for unsold Zara stock in 1999. It has since become known as the high-street giant’s “cheaper and trendier little sister”, selling low-cost clothing for adults and children. Most read in Money Its bargain prices mean it is expected to rival the likes of Primark. The new UK shops will also feature technology already being used in Lefties’ latest European branches. This includes robotic hanger sorters and radio-frequency identification self-checkouts. The hanger system identifies discarded hangers by department and size before sorting them into boxes. Meanwhile, the checkouts can recognise groups of tagged products, meaning shoppers do not have to scan every item separately. It is similar to the system already used in Uniqlo stores. Lefties currently has 215 shops across 19 markets, with the UK set to become its 20th. However, global director Xavier Ruz said the retailer was “not in a hurry to open a lot of stores”. The company plans to study shopping habits at its first three UK locations before deciding on further expansion. Comment now