boohoo: Fast fashion giant makes Sheffield jobs announcement after £150m investment

Fashion company boohoo is shedding jobs in Sheffield following a £150m investment in 'efficiency'.

The Manchester-based firm employs hundreds at a giant warehouse on Shepcote Lane, Tinsley. It said it was 'regrettable' jobs would be lost.

In January, it announced it was closing a distribution centre in Northamptonshire with the loss of 400 jobs due to a £150m investment in Sheffield and growth in America.

This week workers contacted The Star to say they were in a 30-day transition period. It follows a round of redundancies four months ago.

A spokesperson for boohoo group plc said: "Our Sheffield warehouse is an important part of our distribution network, which is why we’ve been investing in the site since taking over and working with colleagues to make improvements to their working environment. 

"Those investments have increased efficiency which regrettably means the loss of jobs on site. We can understand this is a difficult time for those impacted and we are providing them with all the support we can."

Local MP Clive Betts said there had been a lot of problems at the centre, including around changing shift patterns, and there was no union representation.

In 2018, PrettyLittleThing - part of boohoo group - signed a 10-year deal with Clipper Logistics for the warehouse.

At the time, bosses said it would employ 600-900 'core' staff and up to 1,200 at busy periods.

Earlier this week boohoo, Asos and George at Asda signed pledges to use only "accurate and clear" claims around sustainability, the Competition and Markets Authority said. It was part of a  drive by the CMA against "greenwashing."