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Myer

OVERALL

Owned
AUS
Rating
Praises, some criticism

Department stores

Founded in Bendigo, Vic in 1900 and merged with Coles in 1985. Acquired by a consortium of US private equity firms in 2006, who floated the company on the Australian Stock Exchange in Oct 2009. They operate 67 stores around Australia. Acquired designer labels Sass & Bide in 2011, Howard Showers and Charlie Brown in 2014 and Marcs and David Lawrence in 2017.

Company Ownership

Myer Holdings Ltd   AUS     website   email      
  Premier Investments Ltd   
   owns 11% of Myer Holdings Ltd  
AUS     website   email      

Investment firm

Chaired by one of Australia's richest men, Solomon Lew. Lindsay Fox is also on the board of Directors. Acquired clothing retail group Just Group in 2008.

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Myer Holdings Ltd
Environment Australian Packaging Covenant signatory
Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2020)
Social Ethical Fashion Initiative partner
This company is collaborating with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a United Nations initiative which connects the fashion business with artisans in Africa and Haiti. It provides work for marginalized women who have a strong desire to change their lives. The project provides employment, fair wages and training.
Source: International Trade Centre (2020)
Social B- grade in 2019 Ethical Fashion Report
B- grade in the Baptist World Aid Australia's 'Ethical Fashion Report 2019', which grades companies, from A to F, on the strength of their systems 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: policies, transparency and traceability, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental management.
Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2019)
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 not published a list of its supplier factories, has not made a public commitment to paying living wages, and does not have a satisfactory grievance mechanism in place for workers to report violations of their rights.
Source: Oxfam Australia (2019)
Social Workers rights in Bangladesh
According to Oxfam's 2019 report, "Made in Poverty - The True Cost of Fashion", this company sources from Bangladesh and Vietnam. 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. In Vietnam, 99 per cent were not paid a living wage and seven out of 10 women interviewed felt their pay was not enough to meet their needs.
Source: Oxfam Australia (2019)
Social Poor treatment of model competition winners
In 2011 Myer ran a modelling competition aimed at "real" women who wear dress sizes of 14 and above to promote the relaunch of its plus-size range Big is Beautiful. Myer didn't cover any travel, food or accommodation costs for the model competition entrants - many who travelled interstate. Many entrants complained of poor treatment. Finalists received a Myer gift pack worth $25 in return for spruiking the store.
Source: Crikey (2011)
Social Supply chain sourcing
This 2013 report by The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) investigates the labour and human rights risks in supply chain sourcing. This company is identified on page 21 as a company which sources products from countries with known systemic labour and human rights concerns.
Source: ACSI (2013)
Environment Packaging Award 2015
This company won an award in 2015 from the Australian Packaging Covenant, for demonstrating their commitment to environmental sustainability by performing 'above and beyond' in their efforts to minimise waste. This company achieved the highest overall score in their category, retailers.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2015)
Animals Fur free
This company has formally undertaken not to use or sell real fur.
Source: Animals Australia (2017)
Animals Angora ban
This company has taken angora items off the shelves and promised not to use angora again, following a PETA campaign launched in Dec 2013 which revealed the cruelty inflicted on angora rabbits in Chinese factory farms, where 90% of the world's angora is produced.
Source: PETA (2014)
Business Ethics Corporate governance policies
Myer has several corporate governance documents publicly available on its website, including their Ethical Sourcing Policy, Animal Welfare Policy and Code of Conduct.
Source: company website (2020)
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)
Animals Dog fur pulled from shelves
According to investigations by Humane Society International in 2011, fur vests sold by Myer were found to contain dog fur from China. The label stated that the vests are 100% rabbit fur. Importation of dog or cat fur is illegal in Australia. Myer were quick to pull the vest from its stores.
Source: Humane Society International Australia (2011)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Public company
Revenue $2.3 billion in 2019
Employees 11,000 in 2019
Subsidiaries sass & bide Pty Ltd 

Women's fashion

Founders Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton sold a 65% share of their fashion label to Myer in Feb 2011. Myer acquired the remaining 35% in Sept 2013.


Wayne Cooper Pty Ltd 

Fashion designer

Acquired by Myer in 2012.

Contact Details

Address 800 Collins St, Docklands, VIC, 3008, Australia
Phone 03 8667 6000
Fax 03 9661 3770
Freecall 1800 811 611
Website www.myer.com.au

Products / Brands

Myer
Basque Womens Fashion
Basque Woman Womens Plus Size
Bauhaus Youth Fashion
Bauhaus Childrenswear
Bauhaus Menswear (casual)
Blaq Menswear (casual)
Blaq Menswear (formal)
Chloe & Lola Intimate Apparel
Chloe & Lola Underwear/Socks/Sleepwear
Collection Womens Fashion
David Lawrence Womens Fashion
Grab Womens Fashion
Grab Denim
Innovare Made in Italy Womens Shoes
Jack & Milly Childrenswear
Jack Stone Menswear (casual)
Jeff Banks Menswear (formal)
Kenji Menswear (casual)
Maddox Menswear (casual)
Marcs Womens Fashion
Marcs Menswear (casual)
Milk & Honey Youth Fashion
Milkshake Childrenswear
Miss Shop Youth Fashion
Myer Department Stores
Myer Clothing Stores
Myer Toy Stores
Myer Electronics Stores
Myer Homewares Stores
Origami Babywear
Piper Womens Fashion
Piper 16-22 Womens Plus Size
Regatta Womens Fashion
Regatta Woman Womens Plus Size
Reserve Menswear (casual)
Sass Womens Fashion
Sass & Bide Womens Fashion
Sass & Bide Intimate Apparel
Soho Intimate Apparel
Sprout Babywear
Tilii Childrenswear
Tokito Youth Fashion
Tokito Curve Womens Plus Size
Trent Nathan Womens Fashion
Trent Nathan Menswear (formal)
Wayne Cooper Womens Fashion
Wayne Cooper Woman Womens Plus Size
Zazou Womens Shoes


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