The founder and former chief executive of fast-fashion giant PrettyLittleThing (PLT) has made a shock return to the brand after he departed the business last year.
Umar Kamani has returned to the helm of PLT, marking the “beginning of a new chapter” for the fashion retailer.
PLT said Kamani’s return brings a “renewed focus” for the brand and will put customers “at the forefront of every decision PrettyLittleThing makes moving forward”.
As part of Kamani’s return to the business, he has pledged to reintroduce free returns for PLT’s ‘royalty customers’, who pay a premium for unlimited UK delivery annually, just three months after the comapny introduced a £1.99 returns fee.
Despite PLT not yet confirming his official job role, Kamani is expected to be in charge of all operations and review “some of the more drastic changes made in recent times” at the business.
He said in a post on social media: “I’m writing to you today with both excitement and heartfelt determination as I announce my return to PrettyLittleThing.
“I sincerely apologise for any negative experiences you may have encountered during my absence. I take full responsibility from this moment on and I am committed to making sure your experiences with us are nothing short of exceptional moving forward.
“Thank you for your continued support and for giving me the opportunity to guide PrettyLittleThing into its next exciting chapter, I won’t let you down.”
The news comes after Kamani announced his departure from the business last April after 12 years as he set out to embark on “new challenges and goals”, as well as plans to create new brands.
Despite the founder pledging to support the business for a few months during its search for a new chief executive, a new boss was never appointed.
PLT faced significant criticism from customers earlier this year after it deactivated what appeared to be the accounts of thousands of shoppers for making too many returns.
The brand was put under the spotlight by shoppers who complained about a range of issues across sizing and quality inconsistencies.
PLT owner Boohoo Group also hit headlines in May after it faced backlash from shareholders regarding plans to pay its top bosses, including co-founder and father of Umar Kamani, Mahmud Kamani, £1m in bonuses despite ongoing losses at the retailer.
The group backtracked on plans after the backlash and said executive directors at the business “waived their entire bonus entitlement” for the financial year after discussions with shareholders.
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