Leicester news and archive

Leicester Made gears up for expanded edition amid efforts to rewrite the city's manufacturing reputation

Leicester Made is gearing up for a new edition this year under an expanded banner: Leicester Made & Regions. The shift is reflective of a broader movement underway across the UK, as manufacturing hubs in Manchester, Scotland and London seek to align under a shared push for domestic production. What was once a city-specific showcase is now...

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Business

New report finds Leicester garment exploitation claims overstated

A new review presented to UK Parliament has found that allegations of worker exploitation and modern slavery in Leicester’s garment sector were not supported by evidence from formal investigations. The report, ‘Lessons Learned from Operation Tacit’, published in November 2025 by the director of labour market enforcement, Margaret Beels, suggests...

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Fashion

Garment workers found to be sleeping in Leicester factory, says report

Leicestershire may be at the heart of the UK’s textile and manufacturing sector, but it continues to raise alarm regarding workers’ welfare. A probe by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authorty (GLAA) found garment workers were sleeping on mattresses inside a factory producing counterfeit clothing in Leicester. The authority checked 172 factory...

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Business

Network of Leicester garment factories involved in money laundering

A network of garment factories in Leicester, some of which have supplied retailers Boohoo and Select Fashion, have been involved in a money laundering and VAT fraud scandal, according to an investigation by BBC Radio 4. The activity was brought to light by a civil court case between the bosses of two clothing wholesalers. Leicester-based company...

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Business

Boohoo under fire, over 1.1 billion pounds wiped off company value

Boohoo has come under intense scrutiny in the past week, despite sales soaring during the pandemic. At the end of June the company announced a controversial payout scheme which would see its management team net 150 million pounds. Earlier this week allegations of modern slavery surfaced, pertaining to one of its Leicester suppliers, which...

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Retail

Fenwick shifts online as store in Leicester shuts down

London - The first UK high street closure of 2017 has taken place as Fenwick is set to close its department store in Leicester over the next coming months. But shoppers needs to fear not a total loss of Fenwick, as the retail announced the launch of its debut online store Thursday morning. The Leicester store's closure comes after 55 years of...

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Fashion

Garment workers in Leicester paid less than 3 pounds per hour

Usually images of China, India or Bangladesh come to mind when one thinks of garment workers working long hours in dangerous conditions for little compensation in return. However, a recent study from the University of Leicester has found that thousands of garment workers in the city, which is also known as the UK’s largest garment sourcing hub,...