The boss of Boohoo has revealed plans for a new factory which could employ up to 250 people.
Chief executive John Lyttle said the site on the outskirts of Leicester should be up and running within a matter of months, with capacity to make up to 50,000 items a week.
It would give the Manchester-based fashion giant closer control of its stock and allow it to hit the short lead times demanded by the modern world of online fast fashion.
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The chain has finally confirmed that it did a former car showroom on the northern edge of the city six weeks ago with plans to convert it.
It wants to go into partnership with an existing manufacturer to launch the factory.
Around 40 per cent of the chain’s clothes are already made in the city.
The deal to buy the ex-Vauxhall dealership in Thurmaston Lane, in an industrial area on Leicester’s outer ring-road, was struck prior to fresh headlines emerging of workers being exploited at a factory in the city said to be making items destined for the chain.
The board said it was “shocked and appalled” after the Sunday Times sent an undercover reporter to work at a garment factory in Leicester earlier this month.
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The group – whose brands include Boohoo, BoohooMAN, PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal – has taken a PR battering since then, with £1.7 billion wiped off its market value.
It has appointed Alison Levitt QC to look into its 海角视频 supply chain and promised to rebuild the battered reputation of clothes makers in Leicester.
The company, which was co-founded by billionaire Mahmud Kamani, said it hopes to start producing clothes for its PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal brands at the Leicester site by September.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Boohoo boss John Lyttle said building the factory was part of a plan to copy the success of Spanish fashion giant and Zara owner Inditex.
The ability to make its own lines in the city would give Boohoo the ability to replace stock more efficiently.
In the interview Mr Lyttle said the reports about existing factory conditions in Leicester had been “upsetting” and if the new site could not be completed in time he would consider opening a temporary factory nearby.
He said: “Number one, this factory is a commitment to 海角视频 manufacturing. But it’s also about making sure we can support our growth with a level of in-house production.
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“Inditex have a number of joint ventures in Spain and in Portugal that they work with and that really help their flexibility – it’s not dissimilar to that.
“Let’s get this one up and running, prove the model. And then decide and see where we go from there.
“We’re not manufacturers but we feel confident we can execute this and we can make this factory successful.”
He said the business works with 150 manufacturers in the city, often switching between them, but with a core 40 making up 80 per cent of production.
He said although Leicester’s factories were ‘the most expensive by far’ of all the countries he buys from, they can replenish orders for just a few hundred items in as little as two days.
He told the Mail: “I think we can get on top of this. I mean, remember, this is the 海角视频. This is not a country on the other side of the world. This is a city in the 海角视频.”
Deputy Leicester mayor Coun Adam Clarke said: "Anyone looking to invest in the city should be talking to our inward investment team and other relevant departments, such as planning.
"If a business is genuinely seeking to positively support an ethical local economy from within the city, one that protects both people and the environment from exploitation, then I would very much welcome a discussion so that together we can maximise the opportunity.
“Leicester City Council is committed to doing what is necessary to promote good jobs and drive out bad jobs in this sector and any other sector.”