Shein reportedly onboarding Boohoo suppliers amid expansion

Fast fashion giant Shein is reportedly poaching the suppliers of its direct rival Boohoo as part of an ongoing expansion plan.

It is believed that towards the end of last year an invitation email was sent by the Chinese e-tailer to a selection of Boohoo suppliers, with a handful allegedly already in discussions with Shein’s Chinese headquarters.

This is according to Drapers that said it had seen the email which read: "We are writing this letter to tell you that we are looking for suitable suppliers around the world and also hope that your company is interested in cooperating with us.

"According to preliminary understanding, your company has good experience in fashion, manufacturing and design. We would like to learn more about your company."

The news comes months after Shein appointed former buying director of Boohoo-owned PrettyLittleThing, Gemma Dunne, to the role of chief product officer last year.

The e-tailer has also set about on a major expansion in the UK, where it snapped up fast fashion e-tailer Missguided from Frasers Group and reported one billion pounds in sales for the 16-month period ended December 31, 2022.