Company information
We are the leading, national premium department store group in the UK and Ireland trading principally under the iconic House of Fraser brand name through a portfolio of 60 well-invested stores, as well as through our rapidly growing web-store, www.houseoffraser.co.uk and 2 small Houseoffraser.com concept stores.
The House of Fraser brand is differentiated from other department store groups in the UK by our 160 year history in the UK retail market, our wide geographic reach (across the UK and on-line), our broad range of high quality premium branded merchandise offered at competitive prices, our increasing exclusive House Brand offering and our commitment to providing an imaginative, exciting and relevant shopping experience to our customers.
Facts and figures
- 62 stores in the UK & Ireland
- 4.9 million sq ft selling space
- Annual sales in excess of £1.3bn
- Rapidly growing web-store
- 5,000 House of Fraser staff & 11,000 concession staff
Executive Board
Don McCarthy
Chairman |
John King
Chief Executive Officer |
Mark Gifford
Chief Financial Officer |
Vinay Gupta
Non-Executive Director |
Jim McMahon
Non-Executive Director |
Mike Pacitti
Non-Executive Director |
Steffan Cassar
Non-Executive Director |
Stuart Rose
Non-Executive Director |
Sally Ingleson
Non-Executive Director |
Kevin Stanford
Non-Executive Director |
Executive Directors
| |
Don McCarthy
Chairman |
|
| |
John King
Chief Executive Officer |
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Nigel Oddy
Chief Operating Officer |
Jackie Hay
Executive Director
Menswear & Childrenswear |
Allan Winstanley
Executive Director
Womens Apparel, Accessories, Beauty |
Liz Gray
Executive Director
Human Resources |
Mark Gifford
Chief Financial Officer |
Peter Gross
Executive Director
Retail Operations |
Andy Harding
Executive Director
Multi-Channel |
Ysanne Jenkins
Executive Director
Home & Food |
Peter Hearsey
Executive Director
Legal & Property |
HOUSE OF FRASER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POLICY
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
We offer a wide range of goods encompassing clothing, home furnishings, gifts, cosmetics, footwear and food. To create and produce this range of products most suppliers (including ourselves) have their own complex supply chains and we aim to understand the diverse components within them. We are committed to ensuring that both we and our suppliers continuously look at ways of improving working standards and the effect we and they have on the environment.
Our Responsible Buying Policy gives due consideration to:
- People & Culture
- Labour & Human Rights
- The Environment
- The Community
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Both our customers and staff are extremely important to us. The majority of our stores are Disability Discrimination Act compliant and where our older stores could not be adapted to suit all of our customers, our staff are trained to provide our disabled customers with personal assistance where the store prevents a disabled customer full access. We also have hearing loops in place at tills indicated with a hearing loop sign.
We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to ensuring that no employee or applicant is treated less favorably on the grounds of race, religion, gender, ethnic origin, disability, or sexual orientation.
LABOUR & HUMAN RIGHTS
We acknowledge the importance of responsible sourcing and the promotion of fair and safe working conditions within our supply chain and have introduced various policies and green practices to ensure our products in store reflect our stance.
THE HOUSE OF FRASER ETHICAL SOURCING POLICY ('ESP')
The ESP recognises the complexity of our supply chain, diversity of product lines and the global citizens that produce them. Our approach is therefore realistic, objective, and geared towards continual improvement. Our intention is to promote high ethical standards within our supply chain without imposing unachievable conditions, which may be counter productive to the workers and supplier's interests or which may encourage dishonesty. Instead we aim to understand the diversity of our supply chain, embrace local cultures, and through our trading relationships, support livelihoods. All manufacturing and processing units are subject to random factory compliance monitoring. New suppliers are required to complete a self-evaluation assessment on their sourcing principles and production capabilities, followed by an audit against our ESP.
Our ESP addresses the following issues:
- Forced Labour
- Health & Safety
- Wages & Benefits
- Working Hours
- Child Labour
- Equal treatment
- Freedom of Association
- Discipline
Read the full House of Fraser Ethical Sourcing Policy here.
FAIRTRADE
The Fairtrade Foundation seeks to improve the position of poor and marginalised producers in the developing world, by encouraging industry and consumers in the United Kingdom to support fairer trade. The Fairtrade Mark is awarded to producers of a wide range of products that meet a clear set of internationally recognised standards. Monitoring systems are in place to ensure that the Fairtrade principles and criteria are met and that individual producers benefit from the trading terms. Only products licensed by the Fairtrade Foundation can carry the Fairtrade Certification Mark. Currently we stock Christy fairtrade cotton towels but there are more exciting products to come.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Our responsible buying policy aims to embrace the key characteristics of an environmentally responsible business by sourcing environmentally friendly products where possible.
ANIMAL WELFARE
House of Fraser remains committed to improving animal welfare standards on all product areas within the business. Suppliers are required to take responsibility for the standard of animal welfare within their supply chain and are encouraged, where practical to implement industry best practice standards. House of Fraser discourages the use of cruel practices in the procurement of any animal product.
ANIMAL FUR
We have a strict no-fur policy and ensure that our brand partners (concessions) abide by this policy in our stores.
ANIMAL TESTING
We do not test or ask our suppliers or any other organisation to test our private label products on animals.
ENDANGERED SPECIES
We do not knowingly source or sell products or ingredients from endangered species. We support CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) which is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. We understand the concerns of animal welfare groups and our customers and, on the occasion where we do sell a product or ingredient that may prove controversial, we ensure that the supplier only uses farmed sources and/or provides a CITES certificate (if applicable) before we buy the product or ingredient.
ORGANICS
Organic standards require organic farms to be managed in a way that produces healthy food and produce, while also caring for the welfare of farm animals and the environment. Organic farming delivers a wide range of benefits: Working in balance with natural systems; Consideration for the wider social and ecological impact of farming systems; The encouragement of existing biological cycles involving flora, fauna, plants and animals; and careful attention to animal welfare.
Current organic products can be found in:
- Various products across our Linea range
- Aveda cosmetics
- Organic Apoteke cosmetics
- Green Baby and Po.p. Childrenswear, and
- Boaters Coffee gift products, with more exciting products to be introduced.
PACKAGING & SIGNAGE
We provide free carrier bags for our customers to take their purchases home in, however, in order to reduce the demand for bags all customers are asked if they require a bag when making a purchase. Our everyday bags are produced using recycled paper and are 100% recyclable themselves. Only water based inks are used and the bags are printed and produced in the UK thereby reducing our carbon footprint by using fewer transport miles. Our luxury carrier bags are made using paper from managed forests. They are weatherproof and are designed to be durable and re-usable. The luxury carrier bags available in our Dundrum, Eire store are unlaminated in order to comply with Irish regulations, and are also 100% recyclable. Our polythene sale bags are composed of 25% recycled polythene in line with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs retailer's initiative to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25% by the end of 2008. The signage used throughout our stores is produced on 75% recycled material and does not have a laminated finish. We ask our stores to re-use signage wherever possible so as to reduce cost and waste and we encourage our concession partners to follow the same policy wherever possible. You will find the recycle sign on any of our packaging produced in this way and we will soon be introducing 'Bags for Life'.
THE HOUSE OF FRASER RESTRICTED SUBSTANCES POLICY ('RSP')
Our RSP details our requirements on the use of chemicals in consumer products, packaging materials, and processes. The RSP is intended to protect the environment, as well as our employees and customers from exposure to potentially harmful substances. Read the full House of Fraser Restricted Substances Policy here.
RESTRICTION OF THE USE OF CERTAIN HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT DIRECTIVE ('RoHS')
We constantly work with our suppliers to ensure that this directive is complied with.
THE HOUSE OF FRASER TIMBER SOURCING POLICY ('TSP')
The intention of our TSP is to encourage the promotion and enhancement of environmental sustainability and good forest management within our supply chain. We have chosen ProForest as our monitoring partner. ProForest (www.proforest.net) is an independent company working with natural resource management and with their assistance we have committed to progressively sourcing from credibly certified legal and well-managed forest sources and supporting the continual improvement of responsible timber sourcing by our suppliers.
Our TSP is founded on, and will comprise, the following principles:
- Known and Legal Origins
- Compliance with Legislation
- International Regulations
- Sourcing from High Risk Countries
Read the full House of Fraser Timber Sourcing Policy here.
WASTE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT ('WEEE')
WEEE is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, growing by at least 5% each year. The UK disposes of 1.2 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste every year from the public alone. Each and every year, this is the equivalent of: 150,000 double-decker buses; 162 Eiffel towers; 200,000 African elephants; or 444,444 Range Rovers. The WEEE Directive sets out measures for collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment for recovery, recycling and re–use. The UK currently produces about 900,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic waste each year. This includes a wide range of items from TVs and fridges to computers and children's toys. Under this legislation, it is the responsibility of the retailer to meet a 'Consumer Information Obligation ('CIO'). This obliges retailers to inform customers as to the availability of WEEE collection facilities throughout the UK, and assist in developing their knowledge of recycling issues surrounding WEEE. So that our customers can get their waste electrical goods recycled, we contribute towards a national fund to assist local councils to further develop their existing waste electronics collection facilities. In order to assist customers in remembering that electronic goods can be recycled and therefore should not be placed in the general waste, all products of this type are now marked with a crossed out wheeled bin symbol. Please help us to minimise the effect we have on the environment by recycling your waste electrical goods. You can find your nearest recycling points and helpful recycling tips for electrical goods by visiting www.recycle-more.co.uk
THE COMMUNITY
We make charitable donations wherever possible and, along with our nominated charity of the year, the stores are encouraged to undertake their own fund-raising events and activities for local charities.
You will require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these reports.
House of Fraser Charities
House of Fraser Charity Golf Day
For the last ten years, we have held a Charity Golf Day which has supported numerous charities over this time.
In particular, since we launched 'The Cheryl Duncan Trophy' in 2004, we have raised approximately £500,000 through this event alone. We donate 50% of the money raised each year to Walk the Walk Worldwide to support their never ending battle against breast cancer, whilst the remaining 50% has been donated to other worthy charities, last year being the the Retail Trust.
This year's Charity Golf Day was held on 19th July and we raised a total of £193,638, beating the target set of £150,000. As previously, 50% of the monies raised will be donated to Walk the Walk Worldwide with the remainder this year being donated to the Sparks.
See below for further information about each of these charities.
Sparks
As a leading children’s medical research charity Sparks are dedicated to funding and championing pioneering research into a range of conditions affecting babies, children and mums-to-be.
Since 1991, Sparks have committed over £22 million into pioneering research projects across a wide spectrum of medical conditions including childhood cancers, cerebral palsy, premature birth and spina bifida. In total, the charity has funded 233 research projects in more than 80 hospitals and universities across the UK.
Through the research Sparks fund, they aim to improve the quality of life for children and families affected by serious illness or disability today, whilst seeking ways to better diagnose, treat and prevent these conditions in the future.
The medical breakthroughs Sparks make possible, make a difference not only across the UK but for thousands of women, children and families around the world.
For more information see www.sparks.org.uk
Registered Charity number: 1003825 (England and Wales), SCO39482 (Scotland).
Walk The Walk
Walk the Walk came into being 10 years ago when just 13 women power walked The New York Marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. What started out as a once only fundraising event has blossomed into a thriving charity raising to date in excess of £40 million for breast cancer research and cancer care.
To date Walk the Walk has funded some key research projects, including granting 50% of the set-up costs of The Generation study. This is perhaps the most adventurous, largest and most comprehensive investigation ever to be undertaken into the causes of breast cancer. Over 100,000 women will be monitored over the next 40 years and in due course it will not only be possible to compare the risk factors in the women who develop breast cancer with those who do not, it is thought that information will also be revealed that will help with other diseases and cancers.
Their motto is to raise money, raise awareness, get fit and have fun. We donate 50% of the funds raised from the Charity Golf Day to this charity every year.
For more information see: www.walkthewalk.org Charity Registration No. SC029572
Finally, all of our stores and support offices are encouraged to support local charities and such initiatives usually come about from staff suggestions. Please contact your local store if you wish to know about the charities they support.
Corporate Press Office
Find the latest corporate press releases below. For corporate or financial enquiries please contact Newgate Communications LLP on 020 7680 6550 or email hof@newgatecomms.com.
For consumer press information, product-related enquiries or promotions, please contact the House of Fraser Press Office on 020 7003 4000 or visit press.houseoffraser.co.uk.
Corporate Press Releases
Homepage
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