Desk Report: Four Bangladeshi RMG companies have sued UK-based apparel retailer Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) for not paying Tk 59.8 million in dues for exported items. The four companies are Designtex Knitwear Limited, Designtex Fashions Limited, Knit Bazaar (Pvt) Limited and Bottoms Gallery (Pvt) Limited.
K.M. Rafiqul Islam Managing directors of four companies jointly filed a case with Joint District Judge’s Court in Dhaka on March 14 alleging that EWM is trying to evade the payment on the pretext that its subsidiary company Peacock, which imported the products, is bankrupt.
According to the case dossier, Philip Day is the owner of EWM while Peacock, Purepay and Anglo Global are subsidiaries. The bank information shows that Philip Day was in possession of Tk 2.67 billion in profit and EWM Tk 12.95 billion as of March 2, 2019. EWM is a group of companies while Purepay and Anglo are its subsidiaries.
“That, not only the plaintiffs but also a total of 26 RMG factories have been defrauded in this way who complained to their association Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the matter had taken very seriously by BGMEA.
The immediate past president and the current president both have communicated with EWM and other concerned authorities over email and letters stating this non-payment situation and the matter was also taken up to the Governor of Bangladesh Bank to extend his help in getting the payment
Source: Bangladeshi RMG exporters sue UK retailer EWM for nonpayment
