River Island threatens payments to suppliers over quality concerns
British retailer River Island has threatened to return clothing orders to suppliers over supposed quality and sizing issues such as hem lengths.
The high street retailer has reportedly demanded discounts on goods that it claims have not met its standards, warning that it will send orders back if suppliers do not oblige, according to The Times.
A supplier claimed River Island had accused it of handing over a shipment of tops worth hundreds of thousands of pounds that were "ever so slightly too short in length. They threatened to send the whole lot back if we didn’t agree to a discount".
Another supplier said requests for retrospective discounts had "always been a regular risk factor of working with River Island", but claimed that the fashion retailer had recently "gone into overdrive".
Earlier this month Boohoo faced similar disputes with its suppliers. The online retailer was reportedly in a financial stalemate with suppliers after refusing to pay for poor-quality clothing.
Boohoo has withheld payments from manufacturers whom it claims are responsible for producing high volumes of low-quality or faulty goods and is refusing to pay them until such issues have been resolved.
According to a source close to the company, the decision is part of "a three-month programme of work to improve quality following a marked increase in faulty goods being delivered by a small group of suppliers".
"These involved very high levels of faulty goods" and Boohoo was "contractually entitled" to withhold money, the same source told the news outlet.
TheIndustry.fashion has reached out to River Island for comment.