Primark, a discount fashion retailer that has been one of the UK’s high street success stories, recently predicted a buoyant set of results. The company looks set to provide parent company Associated British Foods with a much needed profits injection, – like-for-like sales growth predictions at close to double digit levels, for the second half of the company’s current financial year. Taken in a recession context, and certainly when benchmarked against same sector competitors, this is nothing short of a coup.
The business has, however, been the recipient of criticism concerning its supply chain, – specifically the working conditions of a number of its suppliers. A quick survey of the company’s website shows that the organisation has begun to make efforts to address this in its communications. For example, there is discussion of the issue of ethical trading, and what exactly this means to the business in practice.
The question now seems to be: what next? Perhaps Primark might wish to proceed further in its strategy and reporting, and come up with its own ‘Plan A’ approach to CSR?
