Boohoo’s rise from small-scale UK retailer to fashion giant

On Monday, online fashion retailer Boohoo acquired brands Burton, Dorothy Perkins, and Wallis from Arcadia Group Limited’s joint administrators for 25.2 million pounds.

That came just weeks after the fast-fashion giant acquired Debenhams Retail Limited for 55 million pounds in cash.

The two deals will see Boohoo take over the online operations of the two collapsed high street stalwarts while scraping their large physical store estates.

Boohoo has made a name for itself as a heavyweight in the global fashion landscape, a new-age e-tailer that has been snapping up smaller rivals as it expands and outpacing the growth of its older competitors whose businesses rely more on brick-and-mortar stores.

That success has continued during the pandemic, with the company posting record sales and soaring revenues. But the business has also been at the centre of ongoing controversy about workers’ rights across its supply chain.

So how did Boohoo grow from its humble beginnings to become a global powerhouse in less than 15 years?

Below, FashionUnited has created a timeline of some of the most crucial milestones in the brand’s rise from a small-scale UK retailer to a colossal fashion force.

Photo credit: Boohoo