Shein is planning to open its first British warehouse ahead of its anticipated £50bn listing on the London Stock Exchange.
The Singapore-headquartered fast fashion giant is said to be looking for a large site within the Midlands’ “golden logistics triangle”, The Telegraph reported.
The fashion retailer sent a team of representatives to the UK to view prospective sites in the past few months, including in locations such as Castle Donington, Coventry, Daventry and Derby.
Shein is targeting buildings between 300,000sq ft and 400,000 sq ft – but it also understood to be considering warehouses as large as 600,000 sq ft.
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It is understood the company is looking for a building that is already fitted out to handle ecommerce operations instead of building its own facility.
The retailer’s decision on a warehouse will be dependent upon its London IPO, as well as negotiations with its current third-party provider Super Smart Service, which handles the company’s UK orders from a Cannock warehouse.
The fashion giant is understood to have filed the initial paperwork with the Financial Conduct Authority in June.
However, the retailer has faced steep criticism from industry leaders since who are concerned over its use of a legal tax loophole for overseas shipments that have given the company an unfair advantage.
A Shein spokesman told the publication: “To support the growth of the business, Shein is actively exploring warehousing locations worldwide. However, Shein has no immediate plans to acquire warehouse space in the UK.”
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