Boohoo, the online fashion retailer, says it has started appointing 180 new workers for its first UK manufacturing facility.
The group has invested millions in a 23,000 sq ft factory in Thurmaston Lane, Leicester, which has capacity to make tens of thousands of garments a year, and technology to produce made to order items and put customised prints on clothes to individual shoppers’ specifications.
The flagship factory has been created inside a run-down former former Vauxhall garage on the northern outskirts of Leicester – a city which is known for its textiles heritage.
Some 40 per cent of Boohoo products were already made Leicester, and chief executive John Lyttle previously saying the site would have capacity to make up to 20,000 to 25,000 items a week.
Manchester-headquartered Boohoo includes the BoohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing, Nasty Gal, MissPap, Karen Millen and Coast brands.
The group has previously said it was working to ensure all the clothes it sells come from factories that look after their staff and pay them properly – following reports that some independent Leicester factories making items for it were exploiting their workforce.
Following the allegations Boohoo set up an independent inquiry into supplier working conditions, headed by senior lawyer Alison Levitt QC.
Her findings said the fast fashion chain knew about “serious issues” with the treatment of workers at some independent factories in Leicester in December 2019, but failed to move quickly enough to stop it.
Leicester employs something like 10,000 people in fashion and textiles, working in around 1,500 businesses.
Boohoo said its new manufacturing facility will operate two shifts “creating double the job opportunities and greater flexibility for the team”.
It said all workers on the site will have the same benefits as other Boohoo group employees, including private medical care and free company shares, as well as pay above the National Living Wage.
Boohoo said the site will also be used as a training facility for product teams across all 13 brands operated by the group, and provide guidance to suppliers, to help them become more efficient and sustainable.
The business is talking to local education providers about hosting students and other groups who are keen to learn about garment manufacturing and the UK fashion industry.
In a statement the business said the first group of new starters had had two weeks of paid training, and recruitment for the next intake will start in February.
CEO John Lyttle said: “The Thurmaston Lane site reinforces our commitment to UK manufacturing and our long-standing partnership with Leicester.
“It is more than just a factory, it’s a hub of learning and collaboration, as it gives our own teams the chance to work onsite and an opportunity to see a working factory first-hand.
“We welcome the opportunity to share that knowledge with the amazing education institutions in the city and strengthen our collaborative working relationships with our approved suppliers.
“It’s an exciting new chapter for the Boohoo group.”
