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Boohoo, Lenders Hire Advisers as Retailer Nears Debt Deadline

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The Boohoo logo is displayed on an iPhone in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Thursday, July 16, 2020. Shares of Boohoo Group Plc slumped this month after reports about conditions at suppliers in Leicester, England led U.K. regulators to investigate. Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg (Hollie Adams/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Lenders to Boohoo Group Plc have hired advisers to thrash out a deal with the British online clothing retailer as it faces a looming £325 million ($418 million) debt wall and mounting losses.

Creditors have tapped FTI Consulting Inc. to help them tackle talks about a refinancing, said people familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity. For its part, Boohoo is working with bankers at Rothschild & Co., said some of the people. 

The company has a £325 million unsecured revolving credit facility, of which £75 million is due next year and £250 million in 2026, according to the latest annual report. 

Boohoo, FTI and Rothschild declined to comment. 

Boohoo is the latest in a series of UK retailers including Asos Plc and Superdry Plc to have approached banks to help renegotiate debt. Like other online fashion retailers, the company has been grappling with a slowdown in consumer demand following a pandemic boom. 

The group, which also owns UK brands Debenhams and Karen Millen, has suffered a string of losses in recent years, causing the London-listed shares to plummet more than 90% from their June 2020 high, when locked-down consumers sent e-commerce sales soaring. 

The Boohoo brand has also weathered a supply chain scandal and intense competition from Chinese rival Shein. 

The company saw its pretax loss widen to £160 million for its latest financial year and ended February with £230 million of cash and cash equivalents. 

In May, Boohoo scrapped a lucrative bonus plan for executives following a shareholder backlash as losses mounted.

Boohoo’s largest shareholder is Frasers Group Plc, the retail group founded by Mike Ashley, which owns almost a quarter of the company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.