Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Lefties opens 27,000-sq-ft Liverpool ONE store, plans more

8/28/2026

43 10 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Lefties opened its first UK store in Liverpool ONE, a 27,000-sq-ft, two-floor shop.
The shop uses robotic hanger sorters, RFID self-checkouts, and fitting-room hatches that send unwanted items to robots.
Thermal wear and bras start at £7.99, while dresses average £18.
Retail Economics CEO Richard Lim said Lefties challenges Primark amid intensifying Chinese-online competition.
Lefties plans two more UK outlets this year in Lakeside and Metrocentre.

History

Historical Context

After opening its first overseas shop in Portugal in 1988, Zara used a just-in-time model and zero-advertising policy to fund rapid store openings, reaching the UK with a 10,000-sq-ft London outlet in 2000. By 2020 Inditex operated 100 UK stores generating £2 billion, prompting rivals like Primark to confront Zara-inspired automation seen in Lefties’ Liverpool flagship.

1 of 2

Story summary

Lefties opened its first UK store in Liverpool ONE, a 27,000-sq-ft, two-floor shop.
The shop uses robotic hanger sorters, RFID self-checkouts, and fitting-room hatches that send unwanted items to robots.
Thermal wear and bras start at £7.99, while dresses average £18.
Retail Economics CEO Richard Lim said Lefties challenges Primark amid intensifying Chinese-online competition.
Lefties plans two more UK outlets this year in Lakeside and Metrocentre.

1 / 2