Superdry CEO says Shein is being allowed to ‘dodge tax’

Julian Dunkerton, the chief executive officer of Superdry, has said that Chinese fast fashion giant Shein is being allowed to “dodge tax”, and is thus calling on the UK government to take action.

Speaking to the Today Programme on Radio 4, and later reported on by the BBC, Dunkerton said the UK Treasury would do well to get rid of a “loophole” that allows Shein to escape import duties on low-value parcels it sends directly to consumers from overseas.

Dunkerton added: “The rules weren’t made for a company sending individual parcels [and] having a billion-pound turnover in the UK without paying any tax. We’re allowing somebody to come in and be a tax avoider, essentially.”

Currently, shipments worth less than 135 pounds that are sent directly to UK consumers do not require import duties, yet this is required for companies bringing in larger loads.

Dunkerton went on to say that Shein was a “complete environmental disaster”, adding: “Personally, I would force them into paying import duty, VAT and possibly even an environmental tax.”

A spokesperson for the HM Treasury told the BBC: “Our customs and tax regime balances reducing burdens for businesses and consumers buying lower-value goods from overseas with the interests of UK businesses."