Cath Kidston Ltd recognises that we have a responsibility to combat slavery and human trafficking as part of the retail industry. This statement is made in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 outlining the actions we have taken and are taking in relation to our responsibilities under section 54 of the Act during 2019.

Our Business

Cath Kidston is a multichannel business continuing to grow in the UK, internationally and through our wholesale and e-commerce business. We have stores in the UK, with a mix of high street stores, travel sites (airport and train station), shopping centres and department store concessions. UK retail is where the Company began and this is still a huge part of our business. Our international business has continued to grow since our first international store opened in Tokyo in 2006. We have also set up a Head Office in Japan to support these stores and teams. As well as our own channels, we also sell our products across the world through Wholesale. Our products are sold through department stores, e-commerce channels, independent stores and retail groups.

Our supply chain

Cath Kidston works with 69 suppliers to produce the quality products that make us the Home of Modern Vintage. We recognise that understanding the extent of our supply chain and comprehending where our production processes are happening is an important step in understanding where the risks of modern slaving and trafficking lie. Every supplier has an on-boarding process before working with us. They are required to study and sign our supplier manual, which details all the ethical and legal policies that they must adhere to before trading with us, including our Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy. All suppliers must be transparent with their factory base and provide a full list of factories that will be producing Cath Kidston products, along with a full ethical audit which meets our strict audit criteria. Every audit is reviewed and graded by our CSR team to ensure it meets our Code of Conduct, which falls in line with ILO conventions. Our Code of Conduct must be displayed throughout our Head Offices and must be displayed in every factory that produces our product. Only once all factories have been reviewed and sent through our approval process to be signed off by management can production proceed. We believe a strong and transparent relationship with all our suppliers and factories is key in mitigating any risk of Modern Slavery.

Our policies

Our continuous commitment to preventing Modern Slavery is set out in our Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy. Our Ethical Trading Policy has been adjusted in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Additionally, our nominated audit body, Intertek, have actively reviewed their auditing techniques pursuant to the Modern Slavery Act 2015. They recognise their own commitments to tackle Modern Slavery in their own statement published online. We review all policies annually and make adjustments where necessary, to fit with changes in local and international labour laws.

Training

Cath Kidston Ltd has partnered with Learning Heroes to produce a Modern Slavery module that all Head Office employees have to complete. It is also a compulsory training piece for all new employees. This is monitored weekly and we are currently looking to extend it to all our suppliers as part of their on-boarding process. Cath Kidston Ltd is also putting together new training workshops for the buying teams on Modern Slavery. Our buying and QA teams regularly travel to visit our suppliers and factories, and part of this process involves addressing any risks of Modern Slavery during introductory meetings. We believe training is hugely important in supporting engagement with employees and suppliers to protect workers and prevent exploitation.

Next steps

We recognise that strategic collaboration with other retailers, organisations and expertise is a vital ingredient towards ending Modern Slavery. We are exploring collaborative opportunities with Stop the Traffic and Stronger Together, both pioneers in Human Trafficking prevention. We will continue to strengthen our training initiatives both internally and externally and monitor this as a KPI for the business. Cath Kidston Ltd continually encourages all its workers, customers and other business partners to report any violations of the law or our Code to management and its CSR compliance team.