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Article

12 Dec 2010

Author:
Gethin Chamberlain, Observer [UK]

Britain's high street chains are named by sweatshop probe

Some of the biggest names on the British high street use Indian sweatshops which pay poverty wages and break labour laws to keep costs to a bare minimum, according to a new report. Marks & Spencer, Next, Monsoon, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge are all named as having used factories which exploit their workers...Monsoon said that because the identity of the factory it is alleged to have used was unclear, it could not comment on the report. Debenhams and M&S said they took seriously any allegations that suggested a breach of their strict ethical standards, while Arcadia Group, which owns Miss Selfridge and Dorothy Perkins, said it welcomed research into labour standards and was working on new management systems and on tackling the issue of a living wage. Next said it was already aware of problems in Gurgaon and was taking matters "very seriously indeed".