Boohoo has cut the number of its suppliers down to 78, a significant reduction from the 200 outlined in an independent review of the online fashion retailer.

The publication of its UK supplier list today met the company’s transparency pledge to publish within six months of a review made by Alison Levitt QC, which found major failings in the retailer’s English supply chain.

The announcement of the supplier list comes as Sir Brian Leveson completes his second report as part of an independent oversight of the company’s ‘Agenda for Change’ programme.

Levitt’s review, which was made public last year, found “unacceptable” working conditions, including cramped factories that sometimes had no open fire escapes, and payment of workers below the minimum wage.

"This is the not the end of a project for us at Boohoo but the beginning of a new way of working with our suppliers,” said John Lyttle, chief executive, Boohoo. “We are driving positive change in the industry and want to play our part in rebuilding a vibrant manufacturing base in Leicester, one that offers good employment and great prospects for the workers and the industry in Leicester as a whole.”

Sir Brian Leveson stated in his second report: “It is important to underline that removal from the supply chain is being undertaken responsibly; existing contracts are being honoured but no new orders can be placed other than with a supplier who has been approved by the process”.

Share Story: