Manchester online fast fashion giant, Boohoo, has abandoned its free returns policy and introduced postage charges for returned items.
The business recently revealed an eight per cent fall in first quarter 2022 sales of £445.7m, although this was still 75 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic financial year, three years ago.
The pandemic led to a surge in sales as people flocked to online retailers during lockdowns, but online retailers also observed increased returns as consumers ordered more and more items – Boohoo CEO John Lyttle had previously suggested that returns are currently running at four to six per cent above pre-pandemic levels.
Boohoo has introduced a charge of £1.99 per returned item. The online retailer has also recently increased the cost of its next-day-delivery service by £3.