boohoo Group has begun production at its new factory based in Leicester.

The online fast fashion brand said that the 23,000 sq ft factory, which is the company’s first-ever manufacturing facility, would create up to 180 new jobs.

The e-commerce business said that the facility would operate two shifts – moving away from the “traditional way of operating a garment factory” and thus “creating double the job opportunities”.

The site will also be used as a training facility for product teams across all 13 brands operated by the boohoo Group.

The company said that the site will be used to provide guidance to suppliers, supporting them to boost production efficiencies to “make their business more sustainable”.

Last year boohoo cut the number of its suppliers down from 200 to 78 following an independent review which found that there were “unacceptable” working conditions at some of these sites, including cramped factories that sometimes had no open fire escapes.

“The Thurmaston Lane site reinforces our commitment to UK manufacturing and our long-standing partnership with Leicester,” said John Lyttle, boohoo Group chief executive. “ 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”

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