The story of the man at the head of the Kamani family retail empire is a rags to riches tale.

Starting with a Manchester market stall in Manchester, Mahmud's father Abdullah Kamani sold handbags to support his family after escaping war-torn Kenya in the 1960s.

Abdullah went on to found a wholesale textile business, Pinstripe, becoming a major supplier for high-street names including New Look and Primark.

Mahmud started working in the business and built on that strong work ethic to start Boohoo in 2006 with business partner and creative lead Carol Kane.

They saw the potential of the internet, cutting out the middle-man by selling well-priced fast-turnaround fashion direct to shoppers.

In less than 15 years, Boohoo went from a three-employee operation to reporting revenue of £1.982bn in February 2022.

In 2021, Boohoo became the new owner of Debenhams and all its stores closed as part of the deal, with the loss of 12,000 jobs.

Mahmud Kamani, 55, and his wife, Aisha, and sons Umar, Adam and Samir, have gone from a house in Chorlton, Manchester, to lavish lifestyles, with properties in New York and Dubai.

In May, Mahmud Kamani's sister Rabia reduced her stake in the fashion giant.

She now has a holding of just under 4% in the Manchester-headquartered group.

Documents filed with the London Stock Exchange confirmed she had lowered her stake from just under 5%.

The brand has been dogged by a series series of reports raising concerns about conditions in Leicester, with garment workers being paid as little as £3 an hour.

An independent review concluded in September 2020, found that Boohoo management were aware workers in its supply chain were being badly treated.

In the wake of that review, the retailer went on to appoint Sir Brian Leveson to oversee its Agenda for Change programme to ensure workers in its supply chain are treated ethically and lawfully.

In his final report, published in March, Sir Brian said that Boohoo had failed to appreciate that running a great company required social responsibility as well as growth.

But now, he concluded: "That message has been heard, understood and is in the course of being remedied, with very substantial steps already taken to recognise the wider picture beyond commercial success."

The company, which was listed on the stock market in 2014, includes BoohooMAN, Karen Millen, Nasty Gal, PrettyLittleThing, Coast, Misspap, Oasis, Warehouse, Burton, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins and Debenhams.

What's happening next?

Boohoo took a hit during the pandemic, reporting a pre-tax profit slumped by more than 90% during its latest financial year, partly blaming a rise in customers returning goods.

The group posted profits of £7.8m for the 12 months to February 28, 2022, down from the £124.7m it reported during the prior year.

But it said that a plan was underway to ensure it was well-positioned to rebound strongly as pandemic-related headwinds ease.

And on June 16, Boohoo posted its first ever drop in UK sales as the fashion giant struggled to keep shoppers spending.

It reported a group revenue of £445.7m for the three months to May 31, 2022, down from the £486.1m it achieved during the same period in 2021.

Its UK sales dipped from £274.6m to £272.1m while its revenue in the rest of Europe fell from £54.4m to £49.6m.

Boohoo's annual report in May revealed that John Lyttle, the chief executive of Boohoo could receive a bonus worth 200% of his £652,000 salary if he meets a number of performance targets over the next three years.

Mr Lyttle would also gain £50m if the company's stock market capitalisation increased to £5.6bn by 2024.

According to the new LTIP for the year to February 28, 2023, basic salaries for chairman Mahmud Kamani, executive director Carol Kane, Mr Lyttle and CFO Neil Catto increased by 3%.

Boohoo added that this increase is in line with the average rise for its workforce as a whole.

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