River Island has warned that it may return clothing orders to suppliers due to issues with quality and sizing.
According to reports from The Times, the fashion retailer has been asking for discounts on items that it believes do not meet their quality standards, stating that they will return them if suppliers do not comply.
One supplier mentioned that River Island claimed a shipment of tops worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were “slightly too short.” They threatened to return the entire shipment unless a discount was provided.
Another supplier noted that River Island’s demands for retrospective discounts—discounts applied post-invoice—have significantly increased recently.
It has been reported that River Island has increased its invoice discount rate from 5% to 10%, causing dissatisfaction among suppliers.
“They’ve become very particular about open costings,” one supplier stated. “When we give them a product price, they want detailed breakdowns, ensuring we’re including that 10%.”
A staff member from River Island’s head office mentioned that Jane Eskriett, the new co-managing director, has been aggressively changing the supplier strategy by removing many existing suppliers and bringing in new ones.
Eskriett joined the company last year from Boohoo, along with her co-managing director Richard Grainger, who has a background with Next.
Image Source: Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock
