Our stakeholder engagement
Our stakeholders are the people and groups that we may affect through our business or who could have an influence on us. Four main groups of stakeholders are:
- Our customers
- Our people
- Our suppliers
- Our shareholders (and banks and other lenders who take some financial risk in exchange for a share of our profit).
A fifth group is the wider community at large - everyone from those living near our shops and distribution centres, the Government and media, to the special interest groups speaking out for particular social causes.
We try to work closely with all our stakeholders, both to understand their perspectives and reflect them in the planning and running of the company. This dialogue often raises new issues requiring a response from us. We deliberate on our stakeholders’ views, weighing them against one another and our own objectives before we act.
More detail on how we interact with our customers, people and suppliers can be found in the relevant sections of this report. The table below gives a brief glimpse into our other interactions.
| Organisation | Description |
| British Heart Foundation | Group charity partner with effect from July 2008 |
| British Retail Consortium | Active member of policy and working groups that address consumer, ethical and environmental issues |
| British Toy and Hobby Association | Review of toy safety and environmental issues |
| Business in the Community | Membership and participation in the BiTC Index |
| Carbon Disclosure Project | Correspondence on disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions |
| Catholic Agency for Overseas Development | Meetings and correspondence on the campaign to promote sustainable and ethical gold mining |
| Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices | Member of the CRJP. Participation in efforts to improve social and environmental standards in the supply chain |
| Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform | Discussions on implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and the Batteries Directive |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Discussions on carrier bags, batteries and energy efficient labelling |
| Eden Project | Collaboration on the 21st Century Living Project |
| Irish Business and Employers Confederation / Retail Ireland | Ongoing dialogue on employment, environment and consumer policy issues |
| Leukaemia Research and Barretstown | Argos charitable partners |
| Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Irish Cancer Society | Homebase charitable partners |
| Soil Association | Auditors of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody and advisers to the Homebase horticultural team |
| Waste and Resources Action Programme | Dialogue on: recyclable packaging; packaging reduction measures; battery collection trials; carrier bag reduction initiatives; using the recycle logo on products, catalogues, flyers and carrier bags |
| Wildlife Trust | Donations to two trusts to continue environmental improvements |
| World Wildlife Fund | Homebase is a member of the Global Forest and Trade Network and submits annual data on timber sourcing |
In partnership
Home Retail Group is an active member of the British Retail Consortium.
Argos has joined the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices.
Home Retail Group is supporting the 21st Century Living Project.
Homebase is a member of the World Wildlife Fund Global Forest and Trade Network.
Argos’ charity partner is Leukemia Research.
Visit Leukemia Research website»
Homebase’s charity partner is Marie Curie Cancer Care.
