Basic Premier

Our Philosophy

At Basic Premier our ethos has remained unchanged since the business was founded in 2012.

We aim to show that garments can be manufactured in the United Kingdom for the high street ethically, efficiently and sustainably. We endeavor to improve the standards of the industry in Leicester and raise awareness of any bad practices that are encountered, in any way we can, to ensure the longevity of the industry.

Our passion stems from our commitment to the workers in the industry, most of whom we believe are very talented individuals and we wish to ensure job security not only for our own workforce but of all in the industry.

"We want to show that British Manufacturers have the stamina to compete with the overseas suppliers and thus limit the impact of the systemic pattern of outsourcing." Mick Cheema (General Manager).

"UK retailers need to show loyalty to UK manufacturers as part of a long term strategy" (Drapers)

Commitment to Our Workforce

We at Basic Premier take great pride in our workforce and believe a dynamic and adaptable workforce is best for both productivity and individual confidence. Hence, we invest in them by not only enhancing their skills to operate their machine to a higher standard, but by training them to operate a variety of machinery, as well as offering other skills training.

The skills training offered enables the individuals to become a qualified first aider, fire marshal, receive a National Vocation Qualification (level 2 or higher). To achieve this, we work closely with KTL Ltd

We also have a monthly rewards and bonus scheme, to celebrate and reward the success of members of staff who have exceeded company targets and shown great enthusiasm to the company. This shows the workers that we notice their extraordinary efforts and want to recognise them. The scheme also allows workers to receive a pay increase before the annual pay review. Furthermore, we have a monthly meeting with all of the workers to inform them of the company’s performance over the month, including sales targets and work related issues, to keep them informed of the business’s activity and to hear their feedback. This all encourages the workers to feel more involved in the operation of the business, and take greater pride in their work.

Ethical Awareness

In recent years Leicester has been plagued by the vast illegal practices that occur throughout the industry, most of which involve some form of worker exploitation, usually paying less than the minimum wage and undocumented hours

Articles

It is clear that although this issue appears time and time again, serious enough action is never taken. Our approach has been to show that sustainable legal and ethical practice is achievable and that retailers, both on the high street and online, should fully pull out of these illegally operating factories and work with the few who do follow the law.

Basic Premier has worked with the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) to conduct research in order to determine the extent of the problem, and has also engaged with retailers who have developed a new audit process, known as Fast Forward, which tackles this specific issue.

Know Your Rights

We here at Basic Premier also believe heavy emphasis should be placed on Ethical Purchasing, whereby Retailers are encouraged to educate encourage their buyers to be aware of the correct price of garment manufacturing in the UK. This ensures sustainability, which is key to securing the textiles trade in the UK.

"Rest assured if your production is with us, it is in safe hands."

Audit Compliance

Basic Premier is fully audited for production by all major retailers; we have undergone numerous ethical, technical and security audits.

"Suppliers urge authorities to act on Leicester sweatshop claims (Manager's Comments)"

Ethical Audit

The SMETA ethical audit, conducted by independent auditors on behalf of retailers to the SMETA standard, https://www.sedexglobal.com/products-services/smeta-audit/. Basic Premier is proud to offer not only an aesthetically pleasing facility, but also ethical practice in everyday operations that meets our high standards, and ensures customer satisfaction and workers’ pride.

Fast Forward

In recent years, retailers have got together to make a new ethical audit process which is fine-tuned to tackle issues regarding paying less than the minimum wage. It checks the rate workers are paid and how long they work and then compares that figure to the volume and cost of production produced in those hours and the viability. Furthermore, it cross references this with PAYE payments and VAT payments to ensure all information is correct.

Collaborating for growth in garment manufacturing (Manager's Comment's Drapers)

We at Basic Premier advocate use of all audits for wide scale use throughout the industry regardless of the retailer to ensure a certain legal and ethical standard is achieved across the board.

Technical Audit

Each store has their own standard of technical audit which involves ensuring the quality of garments. Basic Premier is proud of its craftsmanship and always endeavors to maintain 100% quality for all garments retailers need.

Security Audit

We have also undergone security audits for Walmart’s supply chain; undergoing a strict security audit process to assure which assures no disruption of threats in the supply chain via the product we produce to stores. This allows safe receipt of goods to stores and satisfaction to the end customer.