Woolworths Holdings Limited (South Africa) has weighed in on a rebate scandal surrounding Country Road Group that was brought to light by the Australian Financial Review this week.
In a statement seen by Ragtrader, a WHL spokesperson said the company expects all of its team members and representatives to conduct business legally, ethically and with high standards of integrity in all dealings.
It comes as the South African conglomerate launched an investigation into whether senior managers were improperly pressuring suppliers to meet the company’s earnings forecasts, as reported by AFR, further noting that multiple staff have been interviewed as part of the review.
It is believed this covers the treatment of Country Road vendors and those supplying to its Trenery, Mimco, Witchery and Politix brands.
“WHL expects all of its team members and representatives to conduct business legally, ethically and to uphold the highest standards of integrity in all their dealings,” the WHL spokesperson told Ragtrader.
“This includes always acting in the best interests of the Group, building partnerships based on mutual respect and business success, and not taking advantage of our business relationships for personal gain.
“WHL encourages employees, business partners and other third parties to report any allegations of breaches of our ethical standards to our Ethics Hotline, following which they will be immediately investigated.”
The latest review comes as Country Road Group fields sexual harassment and bullying allegations lobbed against senior levels of staff who have since reportedly left the business.
Last month, a spokesperson for Country Road Group confirmed an independent review was in its final stages with the result expected to be shared to team members this month.
“The Country Road Group (CRG) takes any complaint of harassment, including sexual harassment, very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy for matters of this nature,” the spokesperson said.
“Having received feedback from some team members regarding the handling of their complaints, our parent company Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) has taken prompt action, including the commissioning of an independent investigation to look into this matter.”
The spokesperson added that it is critically important to them that the CRG workplace is “one where all team members feel safe, valued and included.”
“We sincerely thank team members for speaking up and raising their concerns. In the interim, we strongly encourage all parties to avoid speculation on outcomes prior to the completion of the independent investigation.”
Various media reports covering the harassment and bullying allegations warn of a mass exodus of staff at Country Road Group.