Boohoo hires retired judge Leveson to oversee supply chain revamp
Boohoo has appointed retired judge Brian Leveson, who handled the Leveson inquiry, to independently check its drive to improve its supply chain and business practices.
In September an independent review found several failings in the online fashion retailer’s supply chain in England, after allegations about working conditions and low pay. The review then set out steps to tackle the problems, which Boohoo accepted.
Following the review the business had £775m wiped off its market value, and PwC, which had been auditing Boohoo, dropped it from its client list.
Leveson will report directly to the Boohoo board and his reports will be published.
The retired judge is best known for heading a 2011-12 inquiry into British press standards after Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World tabloid admitted hacking thousands of phones to produce ever-more salacious stories.
Boohoo said Leveson had also appointed both legal, and independent inquiry and enforcement specialists to supplement the company’s “Agenda for Change” programme.
“Boohoo has recognised that it must institute and embed change so that everyone involved in the group’s supply chain is treated fully in accordance with the law and the principles of ethical trading,” said Leveson.