Boohoo hiring spree: Online fashion giant reveals plans to create 5000 new jobs

Online fashion company Boohoo has outlined plans to create 5000 new jobs, as part of major investments it will be making in the UK over the next five years.

The retailer has a £500 million investment programme which chief executive John Lyttle said will help grow the customer base both here and abroad.

Boohoo expects to invest in securing more warehouse space and in IT, and the moves follows expansion at Boohoo, which acquire brands such as Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis earlier this year.

As at January, Boohoo employed 3476 people, and the new roles, of which most will be in the UK, will be within a range of divisions at the business, including logistics, tech, HR and buying.

The company has been making efforts to raise standards across the supply chain, including scaling back the number of suppliers it works with.

The group’s Leicester supply chain came under the spotlight last year following reports of alleged low pay and unsafe conditions. The company launched an independent review, and the findings identified a number of areas where the group could demonstrate improved levels of corporate governance.

Boohoo revealed its latest plans in its ‘economic impact report’, where it says the group’s operations in 2020/21 added £559.4 million in GVA to the UK.

Lyttle said: “The growth the business has experienced over the last 15 years has been phenomenal.”

Scores of online retailers saw sales leap during the pandemic when high street rivals had to close stores at various points for lockdowns.