Boohoo has slashed the number of suppliers to 78 approved factories in 100 locations, down from an estimated 200 main manufacturers.

That reduction comes after the majority of its suppliers were audited twice by two independent companies via unannounced visits over the last eight months. Boohoo said the resulting review had identified many failings, alongside recommended improvements to the firm’s related corporate governance, compliance and monitoring processes".

Group CEO John Lyttle said the review had identified significant and clearly unacceptable issues and that it was clear that the brand needs to go further and faster to improve our governance, oversight and compliance.

The published supplier list comes after damaging newspaper reports last year highlighted the firm’s controversial supply chain in Leicester where factory staff were allegedly paid less than minimum wages.

Boohoo stressed that the reports showed it had not deliberately allowed poor conditions and low pay to exist within its supply chain and it did not intentionally profit from them and its business model is not founded on exploiting workers in Leicester”.

Lyttle said the group is implementing necessary enhancements to its supplier audit and compliance procedures, and the board’s oversight of these matters will increase significantly.