Modern Slavery Statement
Financial Year 2021/2022

This statement is made pursuant to s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that Welcome Break has taken, and continues to take, to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking do not take place in our business or supply chain. Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour.

Welcome Break has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically, with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and having effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within our business or supply chain.

Welcome Break is one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, running 44 service areas and 31 hotels across the UK. Welcome Break fuel forecourts, EV charging and amenity buildings are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and attract 85 million customers annually.

Formed in 1959, Welcome Break now has over 60 years’ experience in the sector and more than 4,000 employees who strive to proudly and passionately offer our customers world-class food and retail brands such as Waitrose, Starbucks, Subway, WHSmith, KFC, Pizza Express and Burger King, as well hotels under the Ramada and Days Inn brands.

Welcome Break operates and maintains a preferred supplier list. All our key staff and buying team are made aware of the potential risks associated with modern slavery and human rights.

Our anti-slavery requirements form part of our contract with all suppliers and all our suppliers are contractually committed to compliance with the Modern Slavery Act.

Anti-slavery requirements are contained within all our standard contracts so that where Trading and Supply Chain are not directly involved in the engagement of suppliers, the relevant heads of each business function, such as IT, Finance, Development and People, can ensure these requirements are covered.

We operate internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner including:

• Recruitment policy: We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
  Pay policy: All of our team members are paid by bank transfer and we do not allow payment to be made to a third party bank account, thus minimising the risk of forced or compulsory labour.
• Relationships at work: We do employ family members, however, where possible we avoid this being a direct reporting relationship and where it is, their line manager and the People Team are made aware and monitor the working relationship.
• Whistleblowing policy: We operate a whistleblowing policy to provide all employees with a method of raising concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
• Review the modern slavery policies: We are committed to ensuring the risk of modern slavery is effectively managed throughout our supply chain and make it clear that as an organisation that modern slavery and human trafficking is not acceptable.

We will ensure the effectiveness of the steps that we are taking to ensure that slavery and/or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain by:

1. Confirming no reports are received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies to indicate that modern slavery practices have been identified, within the business or our supply chain
2. Confirm all employees have the right to work in the UK.
3. Confirm all of our suppliers have signed up to our anti-slavery requirements and conduct business in an ethical manner.

This statement was approved by the Board of Directors of Welcome Break Group Limited on 25th June 2021.