This statement sets out WWY (Holdings) Limited, all its subsidiary companies and also joint venture companies, actions to put in place steps that are aimed at ensuring that there is no slavery or human trafficking in our own business or our supply chains. It has been prepared pursuant to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 s54(1) and also with reference to the statutory guidance “Transparency in supply chains: a practical guide”. This statement relates to actions and activities which either have been enacted or will be put in place by the end of our financial year ending September 30th 2026.
We are a family owned business in the food sector and operate four sites in the UK selling Chinese and Oriental groceries to restaurants, food manufacturers and the public. During the last year we have commenced construction of a cold store facility at our Birmingham location which is scheduled to complete early in 2026. We have also embarked on a project to open convenience stores in suitable locations and the first one should open in December 2025. We also own several properties, some of which are rented to third parties and are joint owners of a joint venture which sells and distributes vegan foods via an online store. We have supply chains both in the UK and worldwide which supply us with a complete range of food products. We also employ nearly 400 people within the Group. We recognise we have a responsibility and are committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our corporate activities and in our supply chains. It is a very difficult task to monitor long supply chains across several borders given the cost of so doing and our available resources. However, as a Group we continually strive to improve our diligence in this area.
Once again, there have been a range of factors which affect the risks of Modern Slavery and the possible exploitation of vulnerable sectors of society, both at home and abroad. These include the ongoing conflicts in the Ukraine and the Middle East, the possible vulnerability of refugees arriving in this country seeking to work and the changing nature of the political landscape both in the UK and elsewhere in the world.
The economic situation has been reasonably settled over the last year apart from some volatility caused by the imposition of trade levies arising from the USA. Inflation has largely been kept low although there is some upward pressure currently and interest rates have continued to edge downwards. The economic deficit remains a concern and the measures, both already taken and possibly in the future by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK create a challenging environment for businesses to operate in. As ever, The Board maintains its concern for the welfare of our own staff and will continue to consider offering financial and other assistance to help if necessary. The policy of pay reviews which are aligned to inflation has been maintained.
There continues to be a risk of exploitation in our supply chains in the current environment and to mitigate against this we continue to support suppliers by engaging with them and includes paying for orders already in production where possible, ensuring that workers are still able to access grievance procedures, that new or adapted procedures are made available where necessary and that suppliers, and their suppliers, are maintaining rigorous checks during their recruitment processes to ensure that vulnerable workers are not being exploited by third parties seeking to profit from them.
With an ever changing landscape, the Board is always concerned there may be new or increased modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains. New risk assessments continue to be undertaken as necessary and the prioritisation of previously identified risks is constantly assessed.
As part of our due diligence process, new direct suppliers are risk assessed initially, as well as existing suppliers continuously, against acceptable ethical standards. This is achieved by the use of our Supplier Questionnaire, direct contact with them and, where possible, visits to their premises. We endeavour to take the opportunity to visit suppliers and take advantage of these whenever they arise. During the current year the number of supplier visits abroad has returned to pre Global Pandemic levels which offers the opportunity to see their production facilities and meet their staff properly. We expect our current and new suppliers to adhere to the highest standards of ethics and they are required (via our Supplier Questionnaire) to issue us with their own statement (if applicable) or confirm they are taking steps to comply with our statement. This includes all suppliers whether located in the UK or overseas.
Our employees are made aware of the risks arising with respect to modern slavery and human trafficking and are encouraged to report all instances and suspicions, as soon as they become aware of them.
Where property owned by the Group is rented out to third parties our property department is aware of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking being committed by our tenants and continuously reviews their activities, as far as possible, for evidence of this. If evidence is discovered then it is reported to the relevant authority.
We can report that where evidence of modern slavery and human trafficking has been detected or wherever we have become aware of potential suspicious activities the correct procedures have been followed.
Going forwards, it is the commitment of both the company, and all its subsidiary companies, to neither support nor deal with any business knowingly involved in slavery or human trafficking.
This statement was approved by WWY (Holdings) Limited Board of Directors on 19 November 2025 who will review and update it annually, following the end of the financial year on 30 September. It has also been approved by the Boards of Directors of W. Wing Yip & Brothers Trading Group Limited, W. Wing Yip PLC, W. Wing Yip (London) Limited and W. Wing Yip (Manchester) Limited, WWYC (Holdings) Limited, WWYC Limited and the board of Nature’s Charm UK Limited, the joint venture company. It will be further approved by the Boards of Priority Cold Store (Midlands) Limited (the cold storage facility) and WY DiDi Limited (the convenience stores) once those companies commence trading.
B J Yip, Managing Director
A PDF version can be downloaded here.