A total of 18 female former employees spoke to this newspaper. Young women working at the brand were said to have been “targeted for abuse” by managing director Ashish Siddique.
The allegations, which were confirmed by the newspaper in the form of emails, screenshots and testimonies, include staff members being bullied, yelled at and abused, demeaning comments made about models’ bodies and appearances, and staff members being accused of being bullied by Siddique. This includes being asked to model clothes.
Seven former employees also claimed they were fired “without cause,” and two former employees said they were unable to keep copies of their employment contracts.
Missy Empire’s owners are said to have ignored formal complaints at the time.
One staff member, who joined the company at the end of 2022 and left a year later, said her experience working at Missy Empire left her feeling “anxious and depressed.”
She said: “I cried all day in the bathroom because I was being bullied. During his first week there, I was called into his office many times and yelled at him about his mistakes and failures in business.” [Ash Siddique] Said it like it was my fault. ”
Missy Empire was co-founded in 2015 by brothers Ash and Ish Siddique with the mission of “pursuing girl power.”
JD Sports acquired a majority stake in the fashion brand in June 2021 and subsequently sold it to Frasers Group in December 2022.
Staff said both JD Sports and the Frasers had received seven emails sent to their human resources department since April 2022, containing seven individual complaints about the brand, and that they were “not concerned with the Missy Empire issue”. I noticed.”
A JD Sports spokesperson said that although Missy Empire has been a majority shareholder for 18 months, she remains “responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business, including its own personnel procedures.”
The sports giant says Missy Empire employees can “escalate any concerns through JD’s department or whistleblower policy” and that “a small number of issues have been formally reported to the company” and “have been investigated and addressed.” ” he added.
It added: “Everyone has a fundamental right to feel safe and respected at work.”
Ash Siddique and Frasers Group did not respond to requests for comment.
The contract, seen by the newspaper, also states that staff will not be paid overtime, lunch breaks will not be paid, and wages will be deducted if they return home late from a break.