1,200 jobs joy as internet fashion brand boohoo takes giant Sheffield warehouse

Online fashion company PrettyLittleThing.com is moving into the former Polestar warehouse in Tinsley, aiming to create 1,200 jobs by early next year.
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Part of the Burnley-based boohoo fashion empire, planning by a project team is “well underway.”

The news comes after discussions were exclusively revealed by The Star in February.

boohoo fashions are aimed at 16-24-year-oldsboohoo fashions are aimed at 16-24-year-olds
boohoo fashions are aimed at 16-24-year-olds
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The building, owned by Logicor, was advertised as the largest empty warehouse in the UK. Clipper will provide the logistics.

Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, joint CEOs, said: “We have announced this morning that PrettyLittleThing is to move into its own warehouse in the first half of the FY19 financial year. This brings incremental sales capacity in addition to that in our Burnley operations, will help underpin our infrastructure needs and add further operational flexibility for the group. It represents a significant milestone as we develop a distribution network capable of generating £3 billion of net sales globally, in line with our vision to lead the fashion eCommerce market.

“We are delighted to have successfully concluded our negotiations and to be entering into a contractual relationship with Clipper which we hope will be a long, successful and prosperous partnership for both parties.”

Boohoo.com is an internet retail star with turnover of £579.8m, for the year ending February 2018, up 97 per cent on the previous year. Pre-tax profit was £43.3m.

The former Polestar building was advertised as the largest empty warehouse in the UKThe former Polestar building was advertised as the largest empty warehouse in the UK
The former Polestar building was advertised as the largest empty warehouse in the UK
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It specialises in ‘own brand’ fashion clothing for 16-24-year-olds, with 9,000 products. Mobile devices accounted for 70 per cent of online searches in 2017.

‘Sheffield 615’ fell vacant after printing firm Polestar went bust with the lost of more than 600 jobs in 2016.

Following a £4m refurbishment, it was marketed by Sheffield firm CPP as the ‘largest empty warehouse in the UK’, with docking for 33 lorries.

Six firms quickly showed an interest, CPP said.

Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, joint CEOs of boohoo.comMahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, joint CEOs of boohoo.com
Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, joint CEOs of boohoo.com

The mega-move comes as internet shopping giant Amazon is mulling plans to build a giant warehouse also on Shepcote Lane, creating up to 1,000 jobs.

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The US firm is believed to be in discussions with Peel Logistics about talking up to half of the 48-acre former Outokumpu stainless steel processing site beside, Junction 34 of the M1 near Meadowhall.

Peel snapped up the site in May last year and hopes to obtain planning permission from Sheffield City Council for a business park this year.

A Peel Logistics spokesman declined to comment.

boohoo fashionsboohoo fashions
boohoo fashions

If the Amazon deal goes through, it could establish a giant ‘fulfilment centre’ within two miles of Sheffield city centre, employing up to 1,000. A spokesman did not comment.

It already operates a ‘last mile’ distribution centre in Brightside, which is a base for white vans that deliver items to homes.

The fast-growing firm already employs more than 1,000 at four sites in Doncaster, including a £100m mega-shed at Verdion’s iPort development off the M18 near Rossington.