UK Modern Slavery Act

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the modern slavery and human trafficking statement of Attic Self Storage Ltd for the financial year ending [TO CONFIRM]. It sets out the steps we have taken, and continue to take, to ensure that slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking (together, “modern slavery”) are not taking place within our business or in any of our supply chains.

Attic Self Storage has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in all its forms. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our own business or in our supply chains.

Our business and structure

Attic Self Storage Ltd is a self storage operator registered in England and Wales (company registration number 5999141; VAT number 314910035), with its registered office at 3rd Floor, 72 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1XF. We own and operate self storage facilities across London, providing personal and business storage services together with related products and services such as packaging materials and mailbox rental. All of our stores and our support functions are located in the United Kingdom, and our staff are employed directly by us in the UK, with identity and right-to-work checks carried out as part of our recruitment process.

Our supply chains

Our supply chains are comparatively short and predominantly UK-based. The principal categories of goods and services that we procure are:

  • construction, fit-out and refurbishment of our storage facilities;
  • facilities services, including maintenance, cleaning and security;
  • packaging materials and retail merchandise sold in our stores;
  • IT systems, software and telecommunications; and
  • professional services, including legal, accountancy, insurance and marketing.

Our policies in relation to modern slavery

We operate a number of internal policies and practices which support our commitment to identifying and preventing modern slavery, including:

  • recruitment practices under which we verify the identity and the right to work in the United Kingdom of every member of staff before they start work with us;
  • a culture in which staff are encouraged to raise concerns about any wrongdoing, including any suspicion of modern slavery, without fear of reprisal; and
  • a clear expectation that our suppliers conduct their business ethically, comply with all applicable laws — including the Modern Slavery Act 2015 — and pay their workers no less than the applicable statutory minimum.

Due diligence processes

When engaging new suppliers, and as part of our ongoing relationships with existing suppliers, we take a risk-based approach to due diligence. We give preference to established, UK-based suppliers with transparent employment practices; we expect our suppliers to confirm compliance with applicable law as part of our terms of engagement; and we reserve the right to terminate our relationship with any supplier who fails to meet our standards or who is unable to demonstrate the steps they take to keep their own business and supply chains free from modern slavery.

Risk assessment

As a UK-based service business with directly employed staff, we assess the overall risk of modern slavery arising within our own operations to be low. We recognise that the residual risk is highest in labour-intensive outsourced services — in particular construction and fit-out, cleaning and security — and in the manufacture of packaging materials. We keep these categories of spend under closer review and expect the relevant suppliers to be able to evidence their own controls on request.

Measuring effectiveness

We use the following key performance indicators to measure how effective we are in ensuring that modern slavery is not taking place in our business or supply chains:

  • the proportion of relevant staff who have received awareness guidance on modern slavery;
  • the proportion of key suppliers whose compliance with our ethical expectations has been reviewed; and
  • the number of modern slavery concerns reported and investigated (to date: none).

Training and awareness

To ensure a good understanding of the risks of modern slavery in our business and supply chains, we provide guidance to those members of staff with responsibility for procurement, recruitment and store management, so that they are able to identify the warning signs of modern slavery and know how to escalate any concern.

Approval of this statement

This statement was approved by the Board of Directors of Attic Self Storage Ltd on [TO CONFIRM] and will be reviewed and updated annually.

[Name — TO CONFIRM]
Director, Attic Self Storage Ltd
Date: [TO CONFIRM]