I'm not surprised they're losing out to Primark and the like-I used to shop for my clothes at Markies a lot in my working days but I became disillusioned with the quality and the finishing especially of their clothes especially as their prices didn't reflect this. I have also shopped at Primark and some of their clothing is very good value for money. If I remember correctly Markies also were found to be selling goods made in sweat shops some years ago along with other High St shops such as Next, Gap etc