Harvey Nichols and J.D. Williams among hundreds of employers named for failing to pay minimum wage

Harvey Nichols and J.D. Williams are among the 389 employers from across the UK who have been named by the UK government for failing to pay around 60,000 workers the National Minimum Wage.

Employers, spanning sectors such as social care, sports and retail, have now been told to repay over £7.3 million in wages owed to workers. On top of this, employers have been issued fines totalling around £12.6 million, forming part of an intensified government enforcement action against underpaying workers.

As part of the renewed attention on this issue, the government has said it will publish 'naming rounds' more frequently to increase pressure on employers to keep their payroll up to date. It has also announced the launch of a new enforcement body called the Fair Work Agency on 7 April, which was formed through the recently passed Employment Rights Act and will bring workers’ rights enforcement under one roof for the first time.

The launch of the enforcement body coincides with further increases to the minimum wage, set to be announced in April 2026, which will see the lowest earners over 21 years old receive an annual pay boost of £900 for those working full time, with the minimum wage rising from £12.21 to £12.71.

A Harvey Nichols spokesperson commented: “Harvey Nichols cooperated fully with HMRC during a comprehensive National Minimum Wage review covering the period from February 2018 to March 2023. HMRC acknowledged that there was no deliberate breach of National Minimum Wage regulations and that Harvey Nichols made genuine efforts to look after its employees. A small number of historic technical issues resulted in arrears and an associated penalty. These issues were resolved immediately. HN remains committed to ensuring full compliance with all employment regulations and to providing a supportive working environment for all colleagues.”

A spokesperson for N Brown, parent company of JD Williams commented:“Between 2016 and 2019, an oversight within our payroll processes resulted in the pay of some of our employees, who had voluntarily opted into pay deduction schemes, inadvertently falling below the national minimum wage threshold. All affected current and past employees have been contacted and any repayments relating to this error were made in 2023. We took action at the time to modify our processes to prevent this from happening again. N Brown is proud that we are a living wage employer and have reimbursed any colleague affected. At no point has a colleague’s contracted hourly rate been below the National Minimum Wage.”

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: "The vast majority of businesses in this country do the right thing by paying their staff properly and playing by the rules. It’s not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed. A good employer doesn’t build their business on the back of unpaid wages, and I look forward to working with the new Fair Work Agency to ensure its powers are used to crack down on those who think the rules don’t apply to them."

Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden added: "Nobody should finish a week’s work and find they’ve been paid less than they’ve earned. I believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. That’s why we’re cracking down on employers who underpay. We’re making sure workers get the hard earned pay they deserve.  I encourage every employer to check their payroll to ensure they don’t get caught out."

Earlier this month, retailer M&S announced that it will increase pay by at least 6.4% from 1 April for retail staff, offering rates above the national minimum wage (£13.41 an hour nationwide, or £14.74 per hour for those based in London). Yet the retailer has dropped its previous pledge to offer pay in line with the real living wage, which is a voluntary benchmark designed to reflect the real cost of living and is currently set at £13.45 an hour in the UK and £14.80 in London.