River Island has indicated it might return clothing orders to suppliers due to concerns regarding quality and sizing discrepancies.
Reports from The Times reveal that the fashion retailer has been requesting discounts on items perceived to fall short of their quality benchmarks, asserting that returns will be made if suppliers do not agree to these terms.
One supplier recounted that River Island asserted a batch of tops valued in the hundreds of thousands of pounds were “slightly too short,” threatening to reject the entire shipment unless a discount was granted.
Another supplier pointed out that River Island’s requests for retrospective discounts—those applied post-invoice—have risen notably of late.
It has been reported that River Island has raised its invoice discount rate from 5% to 10%, leading to growing discontent among suppliers.
“They’ve become very particular about open costings,” one supplier remarked. “When we provide them with a product price, they demand detailed breakdowns to confirm that we are incorporating that 10%.”
A member of staff at River Island’s head office revealed that Jane Eskriett, the new co-managing director, is implementing significant changes to the supplier strategy, including the dismissal of several current suppliers in favor of new ones.
Eskriett joined the company last year from Boohoo, alongside her co-managing director Richard Grainger, who has experience with Next.
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