Boohoo snaps up Leicester site for ‘manufacturing village’

Labour Behind the Label alleges cases of furlough fraud have been taking place in Leicester factories

Under-fire fashion retailer Boohoo has bought a substantial site on the edge of Leicester city centre with a view to turning it into a 27,000 sq ft “manufacturing village”.

The site, a former Vauxhall dealership on Thurmaston Lane, was sold in a deal brokered by local property agent Andrew + Ashwell, according to The Sunday Times.

Planning permission hasn’t been sought for the two-acre site.

Andrew + Ashwell’s website shows the site as being “under offer”.

The deal was completed just before Boohoo came under fire for using suppliers in Leicester who allegedly stayed open during the coronavirus lockdown and paid workers just £3.50 an hour.

It was also suggested that claims that Leicester textile factories ordered sick employees to work through the COVID-19 pandemic could have been behind the spike in positive coronavirus cases in the city – which, in turn, led to am extended lockdown period being imposed on June 30, from which the city has still not fully emerged.

Since the allegations emerged, Boohoo’s share price has crashed and has sparked Government investigations into its suppliers’ working practices.

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