Dismissals and Factory Closure, Bangladesh - 2025

Following the dismissal of 40 employees on 5 April 2025, which according to the company management had ‘stirred up unrest’ among the employees, and the subsequent factory closure for indefinite time, 2,000 employees of Excelsior Shoes Limited protested in the Chattogram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) and blocked the airport road in Chattogram on 7 April 2025. This protest was broken up by the police using batons.

The workers said they were protesting against the dismissal of their colleagues without prior consultation and also against the closure of the factory. According to the management of Excelsior Shoes Ltd., they won’t reinstate the dismissed workers. No agreement has been reached as of Monday, 07^th April.

Excelsior Shoes Ltd. is registered in the Open Supply Hub as a supplier for member companies of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, including Lidl, Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord. In Aldi Nord's supplier list, the company is named in the supplier list from the end of 2024.

The website of Excelsior Shoes Ltd. mentions also Kappa, Carrefour and Fila among others as customers.

Basic Information

Case ID: 2025.007

Identification Number from Open Supply Hub (OS-ID): BD202028121AZGH

Open Supply Hub Link

Affected Country: Bangladesh

Date of occurrence: 2025-04-10

Social Sector Risks concerned:

• Freedom of association and collective bargaining (Conventions Nr. 11 & 87 & 98 & 135 & 141 & 154; Recommendations Nr. 91 & 143)
• Wages (Conventions Nr. 26 & 102 & 131 & 177 & 181; FAO)
• Dismissals / factory closures

Supplier Details

Excelsior Shoes Ltd.
Sector-3, Rd-4, Plot No-1-6, 21-26 CEPZ
Chattogram
Bangladesh

Supplier Website: https://wptemp.bestinbd.com/wordpress/

Production Site

Total number of workers/employees:
2000

No gender specific information available.

Workers movement

No information about unions available.

No information about workers commitee available.

Business Relations

Known Buyer/Brands:

• Aldi Nord International Holding GmbH
• Aldi Süd Dienstleistungs-GmbH
• Carrefour S.A.
• Kappa Deutschland GmbH
• Lidl Stiftung Co. KG

Further information about buyer's sources:

• https://wptemp.bestinbd.com/wordpress/partners-customers/
• https://opensupplyhub.org/facilities/BD202028121AZGH
• https://www.aldi-nord.de/content/dam/aldi/corporate-responsibility/de/nachhaltigkeitsbericht/2017/sonstige/downloads-und-archiv/en/List_of_Main_Production_Facilities_of_ALDI_Nord_EN_Stand_August_2024.pdf.res/1729764136662/List_of_Main_Production_Facilities_of_ALDI_Nord_EN_Stand_August_2024.pdf

At least one of the buyers has the duty to report according to the Supply Chain Act / CSDDD.

Follow up

Sources

Name of reporting organisation: The Business Standard

Source of information about the case:

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/workers-demonstrate-over-factory-shutdowns-savar-ctg-1110216

Contributor: SÜDWIND