Primark has scrapped single-sex changing rooms at its branch in Wycombe in an attempt to become more inclusive.

The chain is one of several UK high street stores to make the changes, joining the likes of Monsoon, H&M and John Lewis. 

The retail giant was praised by transgender activists for the change back in 2019, but recent developments have forced them to backpedal.

Cambridge resident Charlotte Kirby caught the whole country's attention when she uploaded a TikTok in September 2022, tearfully recounting her experience in her local Primark store.

She described how two men pulled back the changing room curtain in the unisex area while she was getting dressed.

 

@charlottemkirby Please be aware/spread the word and stay safe girls. Don’t go in changing rooms alone. This never even crossed my mind when I went into a unisex changing room. Thank you @primark ♬ original sound - Charlotte Kirby

In the video, she said: "The first time, the man just walked in and the second one said: 'Have you tried it on? Can I see?'"

Rebecca Parish, from High Wycombe, shared a similar experience she had in the Wycombe store on Twitter.

Rebecca wrote: "My young daughters and I entered the changing room unaware and whilst we were changing in cubicles with only useless curtains, men entered."

She added: "This is not acceptable!"

In September 2022, Primark announced they were reintroducing women-only changing areas.

The sustained effort to be inclusive means the women-only areas are open to all who identify as female.

This has sparked concern from customers that these rooms may still be used by men to intrude on women as they are changing.

Bucks Free Press: Primark, High Wycombe

Other stores including H&M have also come under fire for putting female customers at risk.

A spokesperson from Primark said: "We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable experience when shopping in our stores.

"In September last year we announced we were making some changes to the way we run our fitting rooms. As a result of the changes, we now offer a choice of two different fitting room areas within our stores:

1. Any Gender – which can be used by everyone.

2. Women-only.

"In addition, we are in the process of making some changes to the individual cubicles, so everyone has a more positive experience. This includes introducing longer curtains, a more secure mechanism to hold the curtain in place and adding floor panels to ensure there are no gaps between the bottom of the cubicles.

"These changes are underway, and we expect to have completed roll out to all our UK stores by the spring.”