A number of UK agencies have visited retail factories in Leicester following allegations into Boohoo’s supply chain and concerns over how factories have been operating before the coronavirus lockdown.
At this stage of investigations, authorities say they have found no evidence of modern slavery offences.
More than nine premises in the city were visited by seven separate government agencies over the past week after a Sunday Times undercover investigation claimed that workers at Jaswal Fashions were being paid £3.50 an hour to make clothing for the fast-fashion brand.
Boohoo said in a statement that they have found no evidence of suppliers paying workers £3.50 per hour.
Officers from the different authorities spoke to business owners and workers to discuss the concerns and to provide advice around how to protect workplaces from the risk of coronavirus.
The visits were from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), Leicestershire Police, Leicester City Council, National Crime Agency, Health and Safety Executive, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue and Immigration Enforcement.
In a statement to the M.E.N, the GLAA said: "No enforcement has been used during the visits and officers have not at this stage identified any offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015."
They said that by the end of this week, more than 30 premises will have been investigated.
GLAA Head of Enforcement Ian Waterfield said: “We are committed to working with partners to ensure that workers in Leicester are safe during the coronavirus pandemic and are not having their employment rights eroded or abused.
“Allegations of labour exploitation are something we take extremely seriously and we will continue to take appropriate action to safeguard potentially vulnerable workers.”
In a statement on Wednesday, the board at Boohoo has said it was “shocked and appalled” by the allegations, and on Wednesday announced they have launched their own independent review into the alleged malpractices, with the appointment of Alison Levitt, a senior lawyer and former principal legal adviser to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A £10m investment has also been pledged to “eradicate supply chain malpractice” and it is accelerating their independent third party supply chain review with “ethical audit and compliance specialists”.
The board said that the clothes in question had been made in Morocco and were just being repackaged in Leicester at a premises formerly operated by Jaswal Fashions.
However Jaswal has never been a supplier to the company, Boohoo said.
They added: "Investigations over the last 72 hours have highlighted that the order from Nasty Gal was placed with Revolution Clothing Co Limited, who then instructed Morefray Limited to manufacture in Morocco and repackage the garments on their behalf in Leicester.
"Our investigation to date has not found evidence of suppliers paying workers £3.50 per hour."
However it had found other areas where the suppliers did not comply with Boohoo’s code of conduct, and said it has taken the decision to immediately terminate its relationship with both suppliers.
A statement continued: “We take extremely seriously all allegations of malpractice, poor working conditions, and underpayment of workers.
"The Group will not tolerate any incidence of non-compliance with its Code of Conduct or any mistreatment of workers, and will not hesitate to terminate relationships with any supplier who does not comply.
"We would welcome the opportunity to work with the Home Secretary and the local authority on any future investigations to help eliminate any instances of labour malpractice in Leicester."
The full statement and letter from Boohoo can be found on the London Stock Exchange website.
