Bring it back home – Support your own!
It’s no surprise among the current Covid-19 crisis that businesses are desperately hoping for people to shop locally and support businesses.
Local enterprise and economic recovery are at the top of the list for these businesses, who in recent months have been struggling to stay afloat. The country needs to get behind these brands and businesses and use local services for the sake of jobs and prosperity.
Irish industry is facing other battles too, including Brexit and the rise of global online platforms. Online shopping has been thriving during the current crisis with people opting for home delivery which has been damaging to local brands.
The online shopping and retailing world have not come without its own problems and turbulences, with the news about unequal pay and unstandardized working conditions in these ‘fast fashion’ industries.
That news came after reports that the Arcadia Group, whose high street brands include Topman, Topshop and Dorothy Perkins, were acting on more than 300 redundancies.
The Arcadia Group which has been owned by Philip Greene and his family since 2002 had been faced with some ‘many tough decisions’, according to their statement, which not only led to hundreds of redundancies but also the restructuring of their office.
The company was only going to pay some of its head-office staff who were facing redundancy as little as 50 per cent of their notice pay.
The Unite union said it had threatened to take legal action for illegal deduction of earnings on behalf of more than 40 head office staff.
What Boohoo did
That being said, arguably one of the most popular online ‘fast fashion’ retailers at the moment Boohoo, were also under fire after allegations surfaced by the Sunday Times that factories involved in the making of its Bohoo clothes were paying its staff below minimum wage and also breaching safety rules.
It is not the first time serious questions have been raised about the Leicester garment industry, where Boohoo is a major client, where concerns were raised as early as 2017.
An undercover reporter for the newspaper said that staff at Jaswal Fashions, where there were Boohoo and Nasty Gal boxes to be seen, had told him to expect a salary of as little as £3.50 an hour, while the minimum wage for someone over 25 is £8.72.
There have also been fears that the online retailer had been risking the spread of the virus by not getting workers to practice social distancing or follow hygiene rules.
The online retailer was then boycotted, not only by customers but have also been removed from Asos as a brand.
Asos News
Asos has warned of slowing sales growth and increased costs related to Brexit and global supply chain problems after reporting a rise of more than a fifth in the first quarter of the year.
The company reported revenues of almost £1.3bn for the four months to 30 June, up from £1.1bn in the same period last year.
However, Asos said sales softened in the last weeks of June amid uncertainty over the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, which put a question mark over its shoppers’ holiday plans, and unseasonal weather.
The fashion company, popular with twentysomethings, said it expected trading volatility to continue in the near term as the impact of Covid-19 on its supply chains and freight costs continues to dampen profits.
Shop Local
So stick with what and who you know.
You will get a great product with great service from your local retailer, with easy returns at no cost. Keep your money at home and support your local businesses knowing that what you spend at home adds to the jobs and prosperity of your own town and country.
Maternity and More at Cherche la femme would like to thank all of our customers for their continued support. It has been our saving grace during these difficult time 🙂