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Boohoo repays £50m of £97m loan following fundraising drive

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On this episode of Talking Shop I’m joined by Alain Bejjani—former Group CEO of Middle East retail giant Majid Al Futtaim, and author of the definitive new book, NEXT: Leading Through the New Realities. Drawing on his childhood in war-torn Beirut, and his experience steering a $9.5bn dollar retail and lifestyle empire through a global pandemic, Alain brings an unmatched perspective on leadership under pressure. Today, we break down his crisis survival playbook for retailers operating in distress. We discuss why resilience must always outpace efficiency, the four assets a brand must protect at all costs, and how to turn macro-turmoil into a long-term direction that scales.

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Boohoo has partially repaid its £97m term loan following the conclusion of a recent refinancing drive, as the group continues a turnaround plan after losses tripled in its half-year results.  Its board confirmed it has notified lenders of the repayment of £50m of the £97m term loan, with the repayment set to be made with funds raised from a recent oversubscribed placing which raised £39.3m.

Commenting on the move, Boohoo CEO Dan Finley, said: “Following the conclusion of the recently announced oversubscribed placing we are today pleased to announce the repayment of £50m of our term loan. 

“The repayment will be made with funds raised from the placing and through the group’s initiative to reduce stock levels as we become a leaner and lighter business, focused on maximising value for all our shareholders. The board would like to thank our banking syndicate for their continued support.”

Last month, Boohoo raised £39.3m through a “significantly oversubscribed” fundraising launch with shareholders after its losses tripled and revenues fell in its half-year results. 

According to The Times, the billionaire family of Boohoo co-founder Mahmud Kamai invested £15.35m as part of this fundraising.

Mahmud Kamani, the company’s second-largest shareholder, invested £5.12m in last month’s fundraising drive in a show of confidence in the group’s turnaround plan.

His sister Rabia Kamani, a minority shareholder, invested £1m as part of the fundraising while his son Samir Kamani, CEO of BoohooMan, invested £6.21m. His other son Umar Kamani, co-founder of PrettyLittleThing, invested £3m.

Meanwhile, co-founder Carol Kane purchased 294,350 ordinary shares at a price of 33.8 pence per ordinary share last week, totalling £100,079.

The recent fundraising comes as the group’s pre-tax losses widened to £27.4m in the half-year ended 31 August 2024, up from a loss of £9.1m the prior year. Revenues also fell by 15% from £729.1m to £619.8m.

Newly appointed CEO Dan Finley said that the company is “significantly undervalued” amid the launch of a new strategic review of the group.

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