Wednesday 28 November 2018

Fast-fashion brands defend business model

              MPs quiz clothes companies on treatment of workers and suppliers after FT investigation






Fast-fashion brands Boohoo, Asos and Missguided have defended to MPs their business models of selling UK-made clothes extremely cheaply following concerns about labour conditions in the supply chain.

Parliament’s environmental audit committee summoned representatives of the three companies following an FT investigation that found evidence many UK workers in so-called “dark factories” supplying retailers were paid less than the minimum wage.

Carol Kane, co-founder and joint chief executive of Boohoo, denied the company used “cattle market” techniques to play off suppliers against each other.

“I don’t know of any such instances and I do not accept there are instances where suppliers are played off against each other,” she said in response to questions from Mary Creagh, the Labour MP who chairs the committee.

She said that the company was in the process of reconfiguring its Manchester building to offer more private meeting rooms for suppliers who wanted to discuss business in a more confidential environment.





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