Section 172 Statement
BERGHAUS LIMITED
Registered number: 00871405
Section 172 Statement
The Companies (Miscellaneous Reporting) Regulations 2018 requires Berghaus Limited to publish a statement explaining how the directors have given due regard for the matters set out in section 172(1)(a) to (f) of the Companies Act 2006 while performing their duty to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole (“section 172 statement”). Below is the section 172 statement for Berghaus Limited captured by these regulations.
Extract from the Strategic Report for the 13-month period ended 31 January 2025
The following disclosure describes how the directors have approached and met their responsibilities under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, and in particular how the directors have satisfied themselves that they have acted in a way which is most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and in doing so having regard for stakeholders interests, and forms the directors’ statement required under section 414 of the Companies Act 2006.
As a business we set high expectations for ourselves, our people, our business partners and our suppliers. We have presented below a summary of the key stakeholder groups, as well as the key decisions made during the year, with reference to how our key stakeholders were impacted and how the directors engaged with those stakeholders to promote the success of the company.
- Pentland Group Limited
Pentland Group Limited is the company’s immediate parent undertaking and provides intercompany funding to the company. Continued access to capital is vital to the long-term success of the company.
Regular profit and cash flow forecasts are provided to Pentland Group Limited and the Group Treasury function, not only to advise on when funding is needed, but also to highlight sales and profit growth to ensure we are creating value for the ultimate shareholders. These are challenged and scrutinised as well as regular forecast update and outlook processes. - Suppliers
Our suppliers are fundamental to the quality of our products. Most of our products across our brands are manufactured outside the UK so it is important to ensure that we are compliant with legislative and regulatory requirements such as the Modern Slavery Act, to meet the highest standards of social responsibility. Our Risk Committee allows us to highlight any challenges associated with various regions
due to political or economic instability that may impact our ability to act in accordance with the standards of conduct we set ourselves, or our ability to meet customer demands, and support our suppliers if necessary.
Much of the engagement with our manufacturing base is through our sourcing partners, though we regularly assess the results of our Payment Practices Reporting for all suppliers to ensure that we are meeting their liquidity demands.
Modern slavery can occur in any global supply chain and is particularly prevalent in the apparel and footwear industry, so understanding where the risk is higher helps us evolve our approach. Since 2023, Pentland Brands, our brands portfolio manager and sister company, has partnered with Segura, a technology platform to help drive more transparency and traceability within the supply chain. Pentland Brands is due to publish its annual Modern Slavery report (covering 2024 activities) later this
year, sharing how it is assessing salient risks, seeking to improve the lives of the workers in its sourcing markets and work towards 100% transparency across its supply chain.
The ‘Our Standards’ policy provides our partners with guidance on working ethically and transparently and is available in the languages of all our major sourcing markets. We are continuing to look at how we can work collaboratively with our suppliers to manage risks. You can read both the Modern Slavery
report and Our Standards policy on Pentland Brands / Standards, policies and resources - Customers
Sustaining long-lasting relationships with customers is vital to the company. We regularly review contract terms and ensure that the company can meet customer demands, whilst maintaining our cash flow requirements. This requires a careful analysis of key metrics by our supply chain, who regularly engage with customers and relay important information to the directors, ensuring the company can
meet its customers’ needs. - Employees
Whilst all employee contracts are held by Pentland Brands Limited, a sister company within the group, the company recognises that a number of those employees represent the company in the conduct of its principal activity. Accordingly, we believe they are crucial to operating our business successfully and engage to ensure that we are fostering an environment in which they are happy to work.
To help its people with the cost-of-living crisis, Pentland Brands Limited applied an annual salary increase for all employees during the period. Pentland uses a fair and consistent approach globally to determine salary increases within each country it operates in. When reviewing, it considered the predicted full period inflation forecasts for 2024 and factored in other labour market insights with the
aim to maintain salaries at a competitive level, while balancing affordability.
For 2025, a pay increase, informed by local inflation levels was applied to each of our markets, to reflect the different economic environment in each. - Community
Respect for the people and the environment has long been at the heart of our business, and we strive to make all our decisions in good conscience.
Pentland Brands continues to enhance its brands by evaluating their impact, which is guided by its ambitious 100-1-0 positive business strategy. Pentland Brands is due to publish its annual Positive Business report (covering 2024 activities) later this year, which will share how it has worked towards achieving those ambitious goals. Once published, the report can be found of its website – Pentland Brands / Home
Berghaus has continued to champion repair through its Repairhaus programme, extending the life of 7,400 outdoor products in 2024. Berghaus continued its support for the Women’s Outdoor Leadership Course with The Outward Bound
Trust, a 10-week programme designed to equip women with the skills and qualifications to become outdoor instructors. Of the 2024 participants, over 60% secured employment with Outward Bound, highlighting the programme’s success in creating meaningful pathways into the industry.
You can read more about some of the actions Pentland Brands and our brands are taking across all areas at Pentland Brands / News.
Our Principal Decisions
No principal decisions were made during the reporting period.