Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

The Body Shop among 191 businesses 'named and shamed' for breaking wage laws

The Body Shop among 191 businesses 'named and shamed' for breaking wage laws

JOHN LEWIS, One Stop Stores and The Body Shop are “named and shamed” among nearly 200 companies for breaking minimum wage laws after their bosses withheld over £2 million, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said on Thursday (5).

Following investigations by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, a total of £2.1m was found to be owed to over 34,000 workers,  the department said, adding that the breaches took place between 2011 and 2018. 


Named employers have since been made to pay back what they owed, and were fined an additional £3.2m, "showing it is never acceptable to underpay workers", said the department.

Other businesses which appeared on the government list are Millenium Care Ltd, The Sheffield United Football Club Limited, Amna Care Domiciliary Ltd, Worcestershire County Cricket Trading Limited, 7 to 10 Food & Wine Ltd, Aire Valley Frozen Foods and Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, Wolverhampton, among others. 

Among the 191 names businesses, about 47 per cent wrongly deducted pay from workers’ wages, including for uniform and expenses, 30 per cent failed to pay workers for all the time they had worked and 19 per cent paid the incorrect apprenticeship rate.

Named employers have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates, the department said, adding that will also be levied with hefty financial penalties of up to 200 per cent of arrears - capped at £20,000 per worker - which are paid to the government. 

As per the new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates updated by the UK government in April 2021, every single UK worker, despite age or profession, is entitled to the National Minimum Wage and will be taking home £5,400 or more annually than they were in 2010. 

While not all minimum wage underpayments are intentional, it has always been the responsibility of all employers to abide by the law, the department said. 

Warning the employers on the list to pay their workers properly, UK business minister Paul Scully said: “Our minimum wage laws are there to ensure a fair day’s work gets a fair day’s pay – it is unacceptable for any company to come up short.

 “This government will continue to protect workers’ rights vigilantly, and employers that short-change workers won’t get off lightly,” Scully said.

 Chair of the Low Pay Commission Bryan Sanderson said: “These are very difficult times for all workers, particularly those on low pay who are often undertaking critical tasks in a variety of key sectors including care. The minimum wage provides a crucial level of support and compliance is essential for the benefit of both the recipients and our society as a whole.”

John Lewis said it was “surprised and disappointed” to be on the list released by the department on Thursday (5), adding that this was a “technical breach that happened four years ago and has been fixed”.

The government regularly names companies under rules brought in under the coalition government. A total of 2,300 employers have been named since the current scheme was introduced in 2014.

More For You

Jio Platforms

Jio Platforms includes India’s largest telecom operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm, with more than 500 million users. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Jio IPO planned for mid-2026, AI unit announced with Meta and Google

RELIANCE Industries plans to take its telecom and digital arm, Jio Platforms, public by mid-2026, chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Friday. The announcement sets a new timeline for the long-awaited IPO of a business analysts value at over $100 billion.

At its annual general meeting (AGM), Reliance also announced the launch of an artificial intelligence unit in partnership with Google and Meta.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asda tech overhaul

Asda sales fell 0.2 per cent in the three months to June 30, 2025 (AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Asda boss hails tech overhaul as key to revival despite sales slump

THE chairman of Asda has admitted the supermarket chain still faces challenges after sales slipped again over the summer, but said the completion of a major IT overhaul was crucial for its recovery.

Allan Leighton told the Times that the long-delayed technology project, called Project Future, had finally been finished after years of setbacks and costs exceeding £1 billion. The work involved separating more than 2,500 systems inherited from former owner Walmart, following Asda’s 2021 takeover by TDR Capital.

Keep ReadingShow less
JLR-Getty

A logo is pictured outside a Jaguar Land Rover new car show room in Tonbridge, south east England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

UK car exports to US rebound after trade deal

UK VEHICLE exports to the United States rose in July after a new trade deal between London and Washington reduced tariffs, industry data showed on Thursday.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), exports increased 6.8 per cent in July to nearly 10,000 units, following three consecutive months of decline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Relatives of jailed Briton appeal to UK minister in AgustaWestland row

Christian Michel

Relatives of jailed Briton appeal to UK minister in AgustaWestland row

THE family of Christian Michel, the British businessman accused of acting as a middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal, has appealed to the UK government to push for his release from Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

Michel’s relatives met Foreign Office minister Catherine West in London on Tuesday (26). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the minister listened to their concerns and updated them on ongoing steps being taken.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blackburn loses Issa empire as brothers move EG Group to US

Zuber and Mohsin Issa (Photo: LDRS)

Blackburn loses Issa empire as brothers move EG Group to US

ASIAN entrepreneurs Mohsin and Zuber Issa are moving the headquarters of their global forecourt company, EG Group, from Blackburn to the US in preparation for a major stock market listing in New York.

The firm confirmed that its main office will relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina, while a new base in Bolton, Greater Manchester, will handle its remaining UK operations, the Telegraph reported. The change brings an end to almost 25 years of the company being run from Blackburn.

Keep ReadingShow less