Boohoo: fast-fashion retailer put 'Made in UK' labels on clothes made overseas, according to BBC Panorama investigation

Online fast-fashion retailing giant Boohoo is under fire after items for sale on its website which were made in South Asia were wrongly labelled as having been 'made in UK'.

A BBC Panorama investigation into the wrongly labelled garments found that plain T-shirts and hoodies sold by the company on the popular retail website were actually made in Pakistan and other South Asian countries. However, labels were replaced on the garments which indicted to customers that their items were actually manufactured in Britain.

Boohoo's manufacturing site Thurmaston Lane, which opened in Leicester two years ago, had been heralded by the company as its "Manufacturing Centre of Excellence" in its 2022 sustainability report. According to the investigation, at least one in 250 items were wrongly labelled at the site between January and October 2023.

A spokesperson for the fast-fashion giant said that the incorrect labels were placed on the T-shirts and hoodies as a result of "human error", adding: "We have taken steps to ensure this does not happen again."

It comes after it was revealed that the company may plan to close the Thurmaston Lane manufacturing factory, the company's only UK manufacturing site. Boohoo confirmed that it was in consultation with staff employed at the site.

The company said of the possible closure, reported by the BBC to be taking place last this year: "We opened Thurmaston Lane to support the group in several ways, as in any retail business, the role of our sites continues to evolve over time. We must now take steps to continue to ensure we are a more efficient, productive and strengthened business."