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Best & Less

OVERALL

Owned
AUS
Rating
Praises, some criticism

Clothing retailer

Best & Less Group is made up of retail brands Best & Less and Postie (NZ). In December 2019, Allegro Funds acquired the businesses from Greenlit Brands. Listed on the ASX in July 2021, reducing Allegro's holdings to 43.5%.

Company Ownership

Best & Less Pty Ltd   AUS     website   email   facebook   
  Allegro Funds Pty Ltd   
   owns 44% of Best & Less Pty Ltd  
AUS     website   email      

Private equity firm

Independently owned Australian fund manager investing primarily in mid-market businesses within Australia and New Zealand. Acquired the master franchise licence for Pizza Hut Australia from its parent company, Yum! Brands in 2016. Acquired Steinhoff International's Australasian general merchandise division in 2019, including the Best & less, Harris Scarfe, Debenhams and Postie retail chains.

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Best & Less Pty Ltd
Environment 4/5 for packaging performance
This company received a packaging performance level of 4 (Leading) in its 2022 APCO Annual Report. Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. Each year, APCO Members are required to submit an APCO Annual Report and Action Plan, which includes an overall performance level from 1 (Getting Started) to 5 (Beyond Best Practice).
Source: APCO (2022)
Social Efforts to pay a living wage
Oxfam Australia's Company Tracker compares the big clothing brands on their efforts to pay a living wage to the women working in their factories. This company has released the names and addresses of at least 70% of their supplier factories, has taken some action towards paying a living wage within a set timeframe in the supply chain, and has made a commitment to ringfence wages.
Source: Oxfam Australia (2021)
Social Workers rights in Bangladesh
According to Oxfam's 2019 report, "Made in Poverty - The True Cost of Fashion", this company sources from Bangladesh. Some of the many disturbing findings of the research in Bangladesh were that 100 per cent of workers interviewed were not paid a living wage, nine out of ten could not afford enough food for themselves and their families until their next monthly pay and seven out of 10 could not pay for medical treatment when they were sick or injured. Other findings include people sleeping on floors in overcrowded houses, spiralling debts, and mothers separated from their children.
Source: Oxfam Australia (2019)
Business Ethics CSR claims
This company has Corporate Social Responsibility claims on its website under heading that include ethical sourcing, living wages, sustainability, community and animal welfare.
Source: company website (2021)
Business Ethics Sedex member
This company is a member of the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex), a not-for-profit, membership organisation that leads work with buyers and suppliers to deliver improvements in responsible and ethical business practices in global supply chains. Tens of thousands of companies use Sedex to manage their performance around labour rights, health & safety, the environment and business ethics.
Source: Sedex (2022)
Social 33/100 in 2022 Ethical Fashion Report
Baptist World Aid Australia's '2022 Ethical Fashion Report' assessed 120 companies on their efforts to mitigate against the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation in their supply chains, as well as protect the environment from the harmful impacts of the fashion industry. Assessment criteria fall into five main categories: policy & governance, tracing & risk, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental sustainability. This company received a score of 33/100.
Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2022)
Social Some COVID Fashion Commitments
In 2020 Baptist World Aid Australia released The COVID Fashion Report, a special edition of their Ethical Fashion Report. The report is framed around six COVID Fashion Commitments that ask companies to demonstrate the steps and measures they are taking to protect and support the most vulnerable workers in their supply chains. This company showed evidence of actions that cover SOME areas of the COVID Fashion Commitments.
Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2020)
Social 2/4 for purchasing practices
In 2020 Oxfam evaluated several clothing brand's purchasing practices across seven categories: whether a brand provides accurate forecasts of upcoming work to factories; its price negotiation strategies; whether a factory's environmental and social compliance influences the brand's purchasing decisions; how a brand places orders with factories; what its payment terms are; commitment to pay a living wage; and the transparency of a brand's supply chain. This company was given a score of 2 with 4 being the highest possible score.
Source: Oxfam Australia (2020)
Social Modern Slavery statement
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: company website (2020)
Social Modern Slavery disclosure quality
Human Rights Law Centre's 2022 report, "Broken Promises: Two years of corporate reporting under Australia's Modern Slavery Act", examines statements submitted to the Government's Modern Slavery Register by 92 companies sourcing from four sectors with known risks of modern slavery: garments from China, rubber gloves from Malaysia, seafood from Thailand and fresh produce from Australia. Modern slavery statements are analysed to see if they comply with the mandatory reporting requirements, identify or disclose obvious modern slavery risks, and demonstrate effective actions to address risks. This company's modern slavery disclosure statement received a rating in the 41-60% range. The average score was 44% and the highest score was 89%.
Source: Human Rights Law Centre (2022)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Public company
Employees 4,000 (2020)

Contact Details

Address 657-673 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt, NSW, 2040, Australia
Phone 1300 135 766
Website www.bestandless.com.au

Products / Brands

Best & Less
Best & Less Everyday Apparel
Best & Less Clothing Stores


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