A UK retail grandee has given his support to controversial Chinese fast fashion firm Shein a day after it was slated by the boss of Superdry.
Ian Cheshire, previously the boss of DIY giant B&Q and a former chair of Barclays, told the BBC that Shein listing in London might help the business due to the "controls and quality requirements" needed.
Cheshire added: "I would always vote for companies coming to London to be on the responsible side of the [green] transition and moving in the right direction."
Shein has divided opinion ever since its launch in China and subsequent shift to Singapore.
Critics have highlighted its links to the Beijing regime and accusations of the use of forced labour to enable it to produce clothes so cheaply.
Only yesterday, Julian Dunkerton, the founder of Superdry PLC (LSE:SDRY), accused the business of tax-dodging and utilising a “loophole” allowing it to avoid taxes on parcels sent to customers from overseas.
Dunkerton said Shein was a "complete environmental disaster".
Cheshire countered that "difficult decisions and nuances" are needed when assessing companies for their environmental impact and said large numbers of UK clothing retailers bring in clothes from China, Bangladesh, and India and pay duties on large containers.
A listing list in London for the fast fashion giant would giver a major boost to the stock market, which had struggled to attract new floats and has seen a stream of companies move to markets overseas.
Shein, it has been suggested, would attract a value of around £50 billion, which would put it in the top rank of companies listed in the UK.