Factory Opening Signals ‘Bright Future’ for Garment manufacturing in Leicester
Boohoo Group Opens its First Manufacturing Facility as a ‘Centre of Excellence’

The boss of online fashion retailer boohoo Group PLC says that there is a ‘bright future’ for garment manufacturing in Leicester after the company opened its first manufacturing facility in the city.

The factory represents a multi-million pound investment by boohoo Group and will be used as a ‘centre of excellence’ to reintroduce skills in garment manufacturing that have been lost in the UK over time. The site also includes office space and will be used to train boohoo Group’s own product teams’ in responsible purchasing and the technical aspects of garment production. The company is also in talks with local education providers about hosting students and other groups who are keen to learn about garment manufacturing and the UK fashion industry.

Production at this 23,000 sq. ft. factory is already underway and has created around 180 new jobs for local people. In a change from the traditional way of operating a garment factory, this state of the art facility will operate across two shifts, creating double the job opportunities and greater flexibility for the team.

All workers at the site will enjoy the full range of benefits for boohoo Group employees, including private medical care and free allocation of company shares. A full list of staff benefits is listed below:

• Guaranteed 40 hour contracts
• 33 days paid holiday
• Access to our amazing share save scheme
• Free shares in the boohoo group
• 40% employee discount on all brands
• medical care
• Excellent training and development
• Opportunity for overtime hours when production requires.

The event was attended by Mayor of Leicester, Sir Peter Soulsby, along with other local dignitaries and representatives from NGOs including Kevin McKeever, Chair of the Garment & Textile Workers’ Trust and Tim Nelson, CEO of Hope for Justice.

Speaking after the event, boohoo Group CEO John Lyttle said: “This is a landmark moment for us and is a very visible demonstration of our commitment to Leicester and UK garment manufacturing. By operating the site as a centre of excellence, we want to bring back skills that have been lost over time and help our suppliers to diversify their product offerings, meaning they can win business from other retailers who we are hoping will be tempted to start sourcing from the UK again.

“It has been a difficult few years but I am confident there is a bright future ahead and today marks the start of a new chapter for the garment industry here in Leicester.”