// H&M will support Bangladeshi garment workers as their jobs are affected by factory closures
// The coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of an estimated £2.4 million in orders
// H&M is the largest buyer of Bangladeshi apparel
H&M has said it is working with other businesses to support garment workers in Bangladesh, where over two million have been affected by factory closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Covid-19 has reportedly caused the cancellation of an estimated £2.4 million in orders.
Governments around the world have announced full lockdown in recent weeks which saw non-essential shops such as H&M closing their doors until further notice.
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Union leaders said most of the workers they had spoken to had been temporarily laid off or sent on paid leave.
H&M is the largest buyer of Bangladeshi apparel and said it was in talks to find a solution.
The retail giant said it was aware that suppliers and employees are “extremely vulnerable” in this situation.
It comes after value retailer Primark pledged to keep paying workers affected by its decision to cancel orders.
Last week, H&M said it was bracing for a loss-making second quarter after recording a 46 per cent plunge in sales in March alone.
On Friday, it posted an eight per cent increase in sales in the three months ending February 29.
However, H&M Group said sales in March alone – the first month of its second quarter – have nosedived 46 per cent despite online sales enjoying 17 per cent growth.
As a result, the company – which also operates Arket, Cos, Monki, & Other Stories and Weekday – warned that the second quarter is expected to be loss-making.
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