Slavery and Human Trafficking

Statement 2023/24– for the year ending 31.03.2024

At Leekes, we recognise that we should endeavour to ensure that we have a positive impact on the working conditions of those working directly or indirectly for our business.

We try to ensure that our suppliers share our vision of a fair and safe working conditions.

Organisation's structure
The company's principal activities are in the retail sector through the operation of home department stores. We are a part of the Leekes Leisure and Retail Group, and our ultimate parent company is J.H. Leeke and Sons Limited. J.H. Leeke and Sons Limited has its head office in Rhondda Cynon Taff, South Wales. The Group has 850 employees all based in England and Wales.

Organisation's structure
We are committed to trying to ensure that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Our Anti-Slavery Policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to try to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chain.

We have in place systems to:

  • Identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chain.
  • Mitigate the risk of slavery and human trafficking occurring in our supply chain.
  • Monitor potential risk areas in our supply chain.

The Leekes Supplier Code of Conduct covers our minimum requirements in these areas and all our suppliers, and their supply chain, are asked to confirm their adherence to our standards.

Leekes Supplier Code of Conduct
All of our suppliers are asked to confirm their adherence to the following standards:

  1. Child Labour
    Child labour MUST NOT BE used by a supplier. A child is defined as any person under the age at which the local minimum age law stipulates for work or mandatory schooling. As a general rule this would be anyone under fifteen years of age.
  2. Slavery, Forced, Bonded* or Involuntary Labour
    * Bonded Labour, e.g. a person becomes a bonded labourer when their labour is demanded as a means of repayment for a loan. There MUST NOT BE any slavery, forced, bonded or involuntary labour in use across a supplier’s operation. To ensure compliance, workers should have the legal right to work at the premises, to leave the premises at the end of their working day and the freedom to terminate employment at any time in accordance with the agreed notice period.
  3. Human Trafficking and Exploitation
    There MUST NOT BE any labour who could be considered to have been subject to Human Trafficking. To ensure compliance, workers cannot be recruited through a person who arranges or facilitates the travel of another person with a view to that person being exploited. It is irrelevant whether that person has consented to travel.
  4. Health and Safety Hazards
    Workers MUST BE prevented from exposure to any health and safety hazards that are likely to pose an immediate risk of causing death, permanent injury or illness.
  5. Working Hours
    A reliable system for recording working hours and wages for each individual employed MUST BE in place within a supplier and these should be available for audit.
  6. Business Ethics
    There MUST NOT BE any form of bribery offered or used in relation to the Leekes business.
    We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values we reserve the right to request access to our suppliers manufacturing facilities at any time for members of our Buying Team or our representatives to check compliance with the Leekes Supplier Code of Conduct.

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31st March 2024. It was approved by the board on 2nd April 2024.

Emma Leeke
Managing Director
Leekes Limited

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