The company, which had been considering a 50bn float on the London Stock Exchange but is expected to list in Hong Kong, paid just 9.6m in corporation tax despite taking 2bn in sales last year. The payment is equivalent to 25% of the 38.2m in pre-tax profits it made in the UK in 2024, according to accounts filed at Companies House, in line with the UK corporation tax rate.
The retail giant's chief executives said the de minimis loophole, which until now allowed small parcels under $800 to enter the US duty-free, would hit competitors like Shein. Trump is set to close the de minimis exemption for goods coming from all countries on Friday. Francis Conforti, Urban Outfitters' operating chief, said the exemption had "really immaterial impact" on the company and that he was not worried that its absence would impact the business.
Unlike earlier times, now ... [the] market is saturated with multiple options and offers, and user interest can quickly dwindle," Yugal Joshi, partner at global research firm Everest Group, told Rest of World.
U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order revokes the de minimis exemption for Chinese imports under $800, changing the landscape for companies like Shein and Temu.