text.skipToContent text.skipToNavigation

Modern Slavery Statement 2021

This statement has been published in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out the steps The Entertainer has taken as a business during the year and sets out future plans in pace to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking within our business and supply chain.

The Entertainers policies and practices reflect our commitment to act ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships, which includes implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure all slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere within our business or supply chain.

The Entertainer will not work with those that are involved with human trafficking or slavery.

The Business

The Entertainer is the fastest-growing, family-owned high street toy retailer in the UK. The business operates over 170 stores in the UK, a successful ecommerce business along with a growing international business through its franchise partners and its wholly owned Spanish business, Poly.

The business is built upon strong values. It donates 10% of trading profits, over time, to a range of charitable causes and cares passionately about the wellbeing of its people. The business was in the Times Top 100 Best Companies to work for in 2020.

We are proud of our values which uphold and proclaim the dignity of all, in particular children. We are committed to the eradication of slave labour and human trafficking. This includes ensuring that our suppliers are free from such practices, in so far as the company, its contractors and subcontractors can control or influence such actions.

Our Supply Chain

Products sold in the Entertainer are sourced globally. We expect those within our supply chain to respect the rights, wellbeing and welfare of their workforce and their working environment. All suppliers must adhere to our requirements set out in our supplier code of conduct; no forced, bonded and child labour, no slavery or human trafficking, no discrimination, no harsh or inhumane treatment, freedom to choose employment, hygienic and safe working environment, minimum living wage payment, no excessive working hours with at least one day off in every seven, freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Our supplier base is approved and monitored through our factory audit programme.

Overview of progress during 2020

Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions in place during 2020 we were unable to carry out the planned factory audits during the year. These audits will commence when it is deemed safe to travel to the required factory destinations again.

Training & Due Diligence

A full GAP analysis was completed during August 2020 with our business partners Slave Free Alliance. This has given the business a wider appreciation of areas where we are meeting the required standards, as well as areas that require additional policies and procedures. Part of the analysis identified areas for training within the business which will be developed and rolled out throughout the business during 2021.

Next Steps

For continual improvement and to ensure our business and supply chain is free from slavery and human trafficking, we commit to the following future steps.

  • Increase awareness to the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking within the business by developing specific staff training modules to monitor and measure attainment and completion to be developed.
  • Develop relevant KPIs to monitor and manage delivery of the policies.
  • Create an internal auditing programme for due diligence to ensure internal process and polices are followed.
  • Creation of a risk register following gap analysis recommendations.
  • Develop an employee code of conduct.
  • Review the supplier code of conduct considering the gap analysis recommendations.
  • Further develop our whistleblowing processes/hotline for the business and supply chain.
  • Continue to review, improve, and develop our procedures and policies.

Mark Campbell

Group CEO

July 2021