Swedish fashion giant H&M has seen its sales slump in China, months after it became the target of a Chinese boycott

The retail giant was among several brands that raised concerns over alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang province.

An official statement led celebrities to cut ties with the brand and e-commerce platforms to drop H&M.

The sales slide came even as H&M’s global business returned to profit as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic slowly eases across the world.

China accounted for around 5% of H&M’s sales last year and is one of its biggest suppliers.

H&M’s sales in China were down 23% for the second quarter of 2021, compared to the same time last year.