Primark to reject rogue suppliers

PRIMARK, which trades as Pennys in Ireland, said it will stop buying clothes from three factories in India which don’t meet its ethical standards for working conditions.

Primark, which is owned by Associated British Foods, said the factories in southern India had subcontracted some embroidery and sequin stitching to firms that it had not approved.

The subcontractors employed adults and children to work from home, according to an investigation carried out by Primark, after it received information from the BBC.

The garments accounted for 0.04% of Primark’s supply, the retailer said in the release.

“The information provided by the BBC enabled us to identify that illegal sub-contracting had been taking place and to take action accordingly,” Primark said.

“We take this lapse in standards very seriously indeed.

“Under no circumstances would Primark knowingly permit such activities, whether directly through its suppliers or through third party sub-contractors,” it said.

Under the terms of its code of practice for suppliers, Primark prohibits the use of child labour in its manufacturing chain.

It said it will terminate relations with suppliers guilty of certain “transgressions” and those unwilling to make the “necessary changes” to their employment practices when breaches of its code are uncovered.

Discount retailer Primark has been growing in popularity over the last few years. It recently said first-half profit soared by 22% to £111m (€139m).

This profit jump was helped by the opening of new stores at Wilton Shopping Centre in Cork and relocating to a larger store in Tralee.