This is LWC's Modern Slavery Act 2015 statement, signed and approved by our Managing Director in line the UK's current guidance and legislation.
This statement is made in reference to Section 54, Part 6 of the modern Slavery Act 2015. LWC drinks Limited is a drinks distribution company with a portfolio of 19 depots across the country and over 1,800 employees, serving independent, on trade accounts. All Depots are based within the UK, with a support centre in Manchester. LWC is currently 15% of the on trade market share of drinks distribution, with an outlook to grow to 20% in the next 3-5 years. We understand the role we have to play in eliminating challenging practices as well as respecting human rights across our own operation. All colleagues who work for LWC benefit from a working environment in which their rights and freedoms are wholly respected.
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. LWC has a zero tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the businesses.
LWC has revised it’s internal policies addressing safeguarding, whistle blowing and code of conduct for all employees to adhere to and be aware of.
The organisation undertakes due diligence when considering taking on new suppliers, whilst reviewing our existing suppliers. We ensure this is conducted on our suppliers, exports and customers by or on behalf of LWC drinks limited. As a company, we have always maintained and continue to support our local communities by recruiting within the local area, minimising the risk of human trafficking and carrying out Right to Work checks with all employees. This is seen in our Right to work policy.
We ensure that all suppliers have the correct registration and certification of VAT, as well as correct identification, before trading. We have also registered on the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) following new legislation to raise awareness and identifying the risks of illicit trading with our current and new suppliers, as well as being transparent to our customers. Suppliers that do not register on AWRS will not trade with LWC drinks limited. This scheme will also be linked to Key performance indicators (KPIs) for our buying team.
Our management team have completed training on modern slavery. Specifically;
- How to identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking
- What initial steps should be taken if slavery or human trafficking is suspected
- What external help is available
This statement was approved by the Managing Director on 9th October 2024.
Ebrahim Mukadam