Burnley-based fashion retailer Boohoo has come under fire following an undercover investigation report into the warehouse, which accuses the employer of treating their workers like ‘slaves’.

The Times newspaper infiltrated the warehouse, which has been operating in Burnley for 12 years, by sending a reporter to spend a month there working as a warehouse operative – known as a picker.

In a video taken by the reporter, colleagues at the Willow Hill Road warehouse said they were forced to work in 36-degree heat, but despite the temperatures managers refused extra breaks due to demands for targets.

The video article also captured the moment the reporter was lambasted for not hitting his targets yet during his shifts, with warnings of further punishments if he didn't step it up.

He described how some staff told him they were suffering from foot and leg injuries due to the pressures of the job, and said he himself had become reliant on energy drinks to do the work and his sleep had suffered as a result of the working conditions.

In defence of the “sauna-like” working conditions claims, Boohoo said colleagues can always access water as it is available on every floor.

A spokesperson for Boohoo said: “The Times’ undercover reporter worked for Boohoo during an unprecedented heatwave where the weather was extreme, and this posed challenges for all businesses.”

The journalist then discovered staff at the warehouse were working 12-hour shifts and are expected to collect 130 items an hour. He claimed this resulted in workers walking the equivalent of half a marathon per shift.

Boohoo strongly refuted this 13-mile claim, stating data from their GPS devices shows the reporter walked an average of 7.8 miles per shift in August 2022.

The Times report claimed the workers are subjected to “gruelling targets, inadequate training and ill-fitting safety equipment.”

Staff even compared themselves to “slaves” and the report also cited complaints of racism and sexual harassment.

A Boohoo spokesperson said they are taking the claims “very seriously” however they don’t believe the report is “reflective of the environment” at the Burnley warehouse or the workers experiences.

Boohoo defended themselves by highlighting their “generous rates of pay” which is above National Living Wage, and benefits like subsidised private healthcare. They also stated their employee turnover rate is low and continues to reduce each year.

A spokesperson for Boohoo said: "Over recent years, we have invited and subsequently received representatives from external organisations, authorities and people such as the GLAA, local MPs, the deputy leader of the local council, and Burnley College, and we remain committed to transparency and engagement.

“Making sure our people are safe and comfortable in their workplace is our highest priority. We also offer a free on-site gym, a subsidised canteen and multiple break out areas to help colleagues relax.

“Through the firm's employee engagement programme staff tell us that they are happy with their working environment, feel valued and feel listened to.

"We have been operating our Burnley warehouse for 12 years and are extremely proud of the work that we do there, the amazing team we have on-site and the important part our business plays in giving back to the local community."

Boohoo directed Lancashire Telegraph to a company report, addressing the recent Times investigation, which was conducted by their broker's sell-side analysts.

In the Stifel report, Caroline Gulliver and David Hughes noted that the impact of the 2020 Boohoo investigation saw the retailer's stock price drop from 400p to nearly 200p.

The report concluded: "Whilst boohoo's distribution centre might be more manual than some retailer distribution centres, the working conditions, on the whole, do not appear atypical."

This isn't the first time Boohoo has faced extreme scrutiny for the treatment of their workers.

As previously mentioned, the report published in September 2020, found that the Burnley firm benefitted from low wages, in some cases as low as £3.50 an hour but claimed they did not do so intentionally.

A couple months later, a woman spoke out against the retailer, claiming that she suffered discrimination on the grounds of her disability while working as a warehouse operative for Boohoo.

Burnley MP Antony Higginbotham said: “This is extremely concerning, and I will be raising the issue with Boohoo directly.

"I want good quality jobs in Burnley and that means employers, especially on the scale of Boohoo, treating their staff with the respect they deserve in a safe working environment.

"The reports of working practices inside of their warehouse falls way short of what any of us would expect from a local employer. And that’s exactly what I will be speaking with them about.

"We need to be moving to a high wage, high skill economy. Given the size of Boohoo’s presence in Burnley they need to play their part in that.”

You can view the original article on The Times (behind a paywall) here, and a further article by The Times here.