We care about ethical, responsible and efficient business practices.
We strive to establish key supplier relationships, mitigate risk and source our products in an ethical and legally compliant way.
Supplier data
Our goal is to implement a transparent process to understand and hold relevant data on our total supplier base, with the ability to assess them and engage with them to drive key partnerships. We have delivered a cleansed supplier database with integrated spend reporting to improve visibility, drive efficiencies, supplier performance improvements and cost savings, and enable updated rebate contracts.
We have made significant progress in supply chain transparency, which has been aided by our relationship with our ethical supply chain partner, Verisio, enabling us to risk assess our own brand suppliers using a bespoke risk grading matrix and, for our branded suppliers, a self assessment questionnaire to risk assess suppliers based on their own internal ethical standards and responsible business practices.
Supplier standards
As part of our supplier onboarding process, all suppliers are required to sign our Terms and Conditions of Purchase and Ethical Trading Code of Conduct, and agree to operate in line with the requirements outlined in our Supplier Manual. In FY27, we will introduce an updated and simplified set of Supplier Terms and Conditions and a refreshed Supplier Manual, creating a more robust and consistent framework for supplier engagement, supporting effective governance and helping to mitigate supply chain risk.
We have refreshed our Ethical Trading Code of Conduct to contain an enhanced set of supplier requirements, which has been signed by all active suppliers.
Building on our progress in strengthening ethical sourcing and supply chain transparency, we introduced mandatory audit requirements for our own-brand suppliers and their factories as a condition of doing business with The Works. Audit reports collected through this programme are independently risk-assessed by our ethical compliance partner, Verisio, using a Group-defined risk matrix, enabling factories to be graded and helping us prioritise improvements and manage ethical risks across our supply chain.
In FY26, we established a robust ethical compliance baseline across our branded suppliers and publishers through the completion of Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs). These questionnaires provided greater visibility of supplier and factory management practices against our requirements, strengthening our understanding of ethical risks and delivering measurable progress against our ethical risk reduction objectives.
Sourcing strategy
As part of our ongoing commitment to data-driven supplier management, we established a framework to categorise suppliers according to their strategic importance, performance, risk profile and value to the business. Through continued engagement with suppliers and internal stakeholders, we have further enhanced our supplier data and management processes, improving visibility and supporting more informed decision-making.
In FY26, we delivered a cleansed supplier database with integrated spend reporting, helping to identify efficiency and cost-saving opportunities while supporting the implementation of updated rebate agreements.
In FY27, we will introduce a more structured supplier performance evaluation framework, helping to strengthen collaboration, support continuous improvement and promote greater transparency across our supply base.
FY26 achievements
- Strengthened our Ethical Compliance Programme, further increasing supply chain transparency and enhancing modern slavery due diligence across all supplier types.
- Reduced ethical risk across supplier sites and driven measurable improvements in ethical performance across our supply base, reflecting a more consistent, structured approach to risk management, supporting greater transparency and continuous improvement across our sourcing operations.
- Established a robust baseline through full completion of supplier questionnaires, delivering measurable progress against ethical risk reduction targets.
- Enhanced strategic supplier partnerships enabling greater engagement and cross-functional alignment on commercial priorities.
- Delivered a cleansed supplier database with integrated spend reporting to improve visibility, drive efficiencies, supplier performance improvements and cost savings, and enable updated rebate contracts.
Plans for FY27
- Introduce a set of standardised supplier performance criteria, enabling consistent and objective evaluation across the supplier base, driving efficiencies, strategic focuses and rationalisation opportunities.
- Continue to strengthen supplier partnerships to position us as the retailer of choice, driving competitive advantage through clearer expectations and enhanced engagement.
- Launch updated supplier terms and conditions and a supplier manual to ensure consistency and mitigate risk.
- Advance our Ethical Compliance Programme, enhancing awareness and delivering measurable risk reduction against set targets, while exploring how to evolve our commitments in line with modern slavery legislation developments, alongside managing commodity pricing fluctuations and geopolitical pressures.
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