Burberry is awarded £573,000 government contract to make PPE for the NHS

Burberry has been handed more than half a million pounds to make PPE equipment for the NHS.

The luxury fashion house donated more than 100,000 items to healthcare workers back in April, earning praise from Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

It was handed a £573,000 contract to make gowns and protective equipment two months later, newly released Government records have revealed.

The contract was not advertised to other potential suppliers, according to Government records which were published today.

EU rules allow the Government to circumvent the usual processes if only one supplier is capable of delivering on the contract, or if unforeseen events mean that speed is vital.

During the early days of the pandemic several luxury fashion brands turned their production lines over to make desperately needed PPE.

Burberry retooled its Castleford site in Yorkshire to produce gowns for healthcare workers.

It allowed to company to win the £573,000 contract, in addition to donations of around 160,000 pieces of PPE to date to the NHS and healthcare charities since the pandemic started.

This has included non-surgical gowns made at its Castleford site, and surgical masks that it bought abroad.

At the start of April, Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised Burberry for its help in supplying the NHS with the PPE it needed.

Mr Hancock said: ‘I’ll give a shout-out to Burberry who have turned over their production to the production of gowns to add to the stockpile and to get PPE to people who need it which is another part of the national effort.

‘I think Burberry deserve credit for what they’ve done so far for the nation and hopefully lots more Burberry gowns to come.’

Weeks later Burberry highlighted the PPE it had donated in an update to investors on April 24

Burberry said: ‘Our trench coat factory in Castleford is now manufacturing non-surgical gowns and supplying them to the UK National Health Service.

‘We are also sourcing surgical masks through our supply chain and supplying them to the NHS and charities such as Marie Curie, which provides nursing care for families living with terminal illness in the UK. 

‘To date, we have donated more than 100,000 pieces of PPE.’

The retailer added it would not rely on Government support for jobs in the UK, where more than a third of its employees are based.

Burberry has since announced it cut 150 jobs in the UK and 350 based overseas on July 16.

Rival fashion brand Mulberry also switched its handbag factory in Somerset to making 8,000 gowns for NHS workers in Bristol in April.

The Government has previously faced criticism over some of the contracts it has signed during the height of the pandemic.

Two weeks ago it was revealed that management consultants McKinsey had been paid more than half a million pounds for a less than month-long contract to provide a ‘mission and vision’ for the Government’s new test and trace body.