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. 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 2025.
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. 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.
The last year has continued to see 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, and political changes both in the UK and elsewhere in the world.
The economic situation appears to have settled somewhat over the last year with inflation now at pre-pandemic levels and interest rates starting to move downwards. However, The Board remains concerned with the welfare of our own staff and will continue to consider offering financial and other assistance to help if necessary. It continues with its policy of pay reviews which are aligned to inflation.
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, including paying for orders 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.
In the context of changing landscape, the Board are always aware of the possibility of new or increased modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains. New risk assessments are and will be undertaken as necessary and the prioritisation of previously identified risks will be reconsidered.
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 endeavor to take the opportunity to visit suppliers and take advantage of these whenever they arise. Whereas this was extremely difficult in recent years during the COVID Pandemic, the current year has seen an increase in supplier visits abroad which offers the opportunity to see their production facilities and meet their staff.. We expect our current and new suppliers toadhere 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 UK suppliers and all suppliers outside of the UK.
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, together with our third party agents, continuously reviews their activities, as far as possible, for evidence of this. If evidence is discovered then it is reported to the relevant authority.
If we have become aware of potential suspicious activities action has been taken and the correct procedures followed. We are pleased to report to date no confirmed evidence of modern slavery nor human trafficking has been detected.
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 13 November 2024 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 and WWYC Limited. It will also be approved by the board of Nature’s Charm UK Limited, the joint venture company, when it next meets.
B J Yip, Managing Director
A PDF version can be downloaded here.