Manchester based online fashion retailer Boohoo has published a list of 78 approved manufacturers operating across 100 sites in the UK, meeting a commitment for increased transparency.

The list was released exactly six months after Boohoo accepted all the recommendations of an independent review led by senior lawyer Allison Levitt which found major failings in its supply chain in England in the wake of newspaper allegations about working conditions and low pay.

Last September the group, which sells clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty products targeted at 16- to 40-year-olds and has grown into a company with a stock market value of £4.2 billion pounds , also set out steps to tackle the problems.

In November Boohoo appointed retired judge Brian Leveson to independently oversee its “Agenda for Change” programme, which implements the recommendations of Levitt’s report.

Boohoo said the list was the result of work carried out through the programme, to map and audit its manufacturers and introduce changes to the way the business works with its suppliers.

The significantly strengthened responsible sourcing and compliance team led by
Director of Responsible Souring, Andrew Reaney, has been working with
independent auditors Verisio and Bureau Veritas to examine the working practices
of suppliers and a majority of UK suppliers have been audited twice over the last
eight months, including in the evenings and at weekends.

Boohoo CEO, John Lyttle, said: “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. We have faced up to
the problems of the past and are now driving positive change in the industry. We
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.”

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