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National Retail Federation slams global safety plan for Bangladesh

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 20:01
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, is slamming a global pact to improve safety conditions in Bangladesh, backed by mostly European retailers. At the same time the association is offering few details to an alternative plan it's pushing that it believes is more flexible.

Bangladesh garment makers hail retailers' safety pledge

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 03:31
Bangladeshi garment manufacturers on Wednesday hailed an agreement by top retailers to make the country's factories safer, saying it reflected their long-term commitment to improving working conditions. The retailers made the pledge following one of the world's worst industrial disasters in which 1,127 people died, most of them female garment workers, when a nine-storey factory complex collapsed outside Dhaka on April 24.

Walmart to inspect all Bangladesh factories

Agence France-PresseMay 14, 2013 18:00
US retail giant Walmart announced Tuesday that it would conduct in-depth safety inspections at all 279 of its Bangladesh suppliers, in the wake of the building collapse that killed more than 1,100. The firm said it would release the names of and inspection information on each of the factories, and meanwhile also issued a list of more than 200 factories that it has blacklisted for failing to meet its standards. But Walmart said it was not yet prepared to join an industry-wide pact on safety -- the IndustriALL Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

More than a dozen retailers sign on to safety pact; most US brands look for alternatives

The Canadian PressMay 14, 2013 10:45
NEW YORK, N.Y. - While several more global clothing chains on Tuesday were announcing that they agreed to a historic pact to improve factory conditions in Bangladesh, U.S. retailers were scrambling to come up with their own safety plans. A total of more than a dozen brands this week announced plans to sign a five-year, legally binding contract that requires that they help pay for fire safety and building improvements in Bangladesh. Notably missing from the pact are U.S. firms, except for PVH, the New York-based parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

H&M, others back new Bangladesh factory safety accord

May 13, 2013 23:00
By Veronica Ek and Clare Kane STOCKHOLM/MADRID (Reuters) - The world's two biggest fashion retailers, Inditex and H&M, along with several other companies have backed an accord aimed at preventing another disaster like last month's Bangladesh factory building collapse that killed more than 1,100 people. The agreement on fire and building safety, which is being led by the International Labor Organization, trade unions and other lobby groups, has been under negotiation since the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24.

Walmart calls on Bangladesh to take action with three factories

May 13, 2013 21:46
(Reuters) - Walmart <WMT.N> called on the Bangladesh government on Monday to stop production at one apparel factory and investigate the condition at another until workers' safety could be assured. The unusual action followed the death of more than 1,100 people in the collapse of a factory in Bangladesh. "The government of Bangladesh did the responsible thing last week by closing factories believed to be dangerous," Rajan Kamalanathan, Walmart vice president of ethical sourcing, said in a statement.

Insight: "Speed money" puts the brakes on India's retail growth

May 7, 2013 12:54
By Nandita Bose MUMBAI (Reuters) - Hong-Kong entrepreneur Ramesh Tainwala spent 18 months operating branded clothing retail stores in India before deciding it was impossible to succeed without paying bribes. Tainwala, a 55-year-old expatriate Indian, owns Planet Retail, which held the India franchise rights for U.S. fashion labels Guess and Nautica as well as UK retailers Next and Debenhams. He sold the brands last September to various Indian businesses.

Fortune 500 profits near record; Wal-Mart is #1

Agence France-PresseMay 6, 2013 15:00
The 500 largest US companies scored near-record profits last year and retailer Wal-Mart replaced ExxonMobil as the biggest revenue maker on the annual list, Fortune magazine said Monday. Apple cracked into the top 10 companies for the first time, vaulting into sixth place from the prior year's number 17 slot. The combined earnings of the Fortune 500 came in at $820 billion in 2012, slipping from the all-time high of $824.5 billion in 2011. Earnings amounted to 6.8 percent of sales, well above the historical average of around 5.5 percent, the magazine said.

Garment workers protest as Bangladesh toll tops 300

Agence France-PresseApril 26, 2013 07:00
Bangladeshi police battled Friday to control huge crowds of garment workers angrily protesting the death of more than 300 colleagues in a collapsed building as rescue efforts stretched into a third day. Police fired tear-gas and rubber bullets at the workers -- who sew clothes for Western brands for as little as $37 a month -- as they blockaded roads and attacked factories and buses in textile-making districts around Dhaka.

Garment workers protest as Bangladesh toll nears 300

Agence France-PresseApril 26, 2013 03:15
Garment workers who sew clothes for Western brands clashed with Bangladeshi police Friday at a mass rally over the death of nearly 300 colleagues in a collapsed building as rescuers raced against time to find survivors. Police fired tear-gas and rubber bullets at the angry crowds as the workers, some armed with bamboo sticks, blockaded roads and attacked factories in the textile hub of Gazipur outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
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