Following the news that the boohoo group has rebranded as the Debenhams group; Chloe Collins, head of apparel at GlobalData, offers her view: “The boohoo group’s rebrand to become the Debenhams group highlights how much its youth fast fashion brands—PrettyLittleThing, boohoo.com, and boohooMAN—continue to struggle. Youth brands GMV pre returns plummeted 21.8% in FY2024/25 (year ending 28 February 2025) to just over £1.5bn. This comes off the back of an already disappointing year in FY2023/24, when the group’s total GMV fell 13.3%. This is mostly due to the meteoric rise of Shein, as its ultra-low prices and swift reaction to trends have made it almost impossible for fellow fast fashion brands to keep up, while young shoppers are also pivoting more towards the resale market, as well as smaller capsule wardrobes.
“Dropping the boohoo name is likely also an attempt from the company to ditch the negative connotations associated with it in terms of sustainability and quality credentials, with the group announcing a new ESG strategy today. However, consumers are more eco-smart than ever, and demand transparency. PrettyLittleThing rebranded last week, attempting to reposition itself with more elevated, timeless styles. However, the reaction to this has been mostly negative, with the brand failing to justify its new higher price points with either improved quality or better environmental credentials and alienating its youngest followers who do still want trend-led styles, who now have even more reason to turn to Shein instead.
“While Debenhams only accounted for 28.2% of group GMV pre returns in FY2024/25, GMV grew 33.8% to £654m, and the group sees potential for it to become a multi-billion-pound business, likely overtaking its youth brands. Marketplaces continue to outperform within the retail market, thanks to their wide range of brands and agile online operations, meaning they bring superior convenience to shoppers. The group is therefore planning to apply this marketplace model to the rest of its business, including youth brands and Karen Millen, in hopes of seeing a similar success. However, this is unlikely to work, given the waning desirability of these brands and Shein’s marketplace ambitions.”
