Woolworths tackles baby carrier situation
RETAIL giant Woolworths will employ enhanced measures and training in intellectual property to its employees, in the hope of avoiding a situation similar to the recent Ubuntu Baba saga.
Last month Woolworths was in hot water after small business owner Shannon McLaughlin accused it of copying her Ubuntu Baba baby carriers.
The retailer apologised after admitting there were similarities between the products.
It removed the carriers from its stores and announced it would be donating the remaining carriers to underprivileged mothers.
In a joint statement, Woolworths and McLaughlin said: “As a primarily private label business and given this recent experience, Woolworths will be putting into place additional measures to avoid a similar incident arising in the future. Some examples of these enhanced measures include an intellectual property e-learning module to ensure enterprise-wide reach of training, increasing intellectual property training to Woolworths employees and all relevant suppliers, and to explore additional systems functionality to support these measures.”
Woolworths said it would not be retaining any profits made from the sale of their baby carriers.
“Instead we will donate a large portion of those proceeds to a credible institution with a view to educating, supporting and developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. The remaining proceeds will be paid to Ubuntu Baba.”
As part of the negotiations, McLaughlin said the Woolworths carriers would have to go through relabelling as the weight ratios were incorrect, making them unsafe for newborns.
“The concerns raised by Ubuntu Baba around Woolworths instructions for the baby carriers are being resolved in conjunction with Ubuntu Baba and credible international experts appointed by Woolworths,” the statement said.
Investigations into allegations that Woolworths’ head office purchased Ubuntu Baba carriers ahead of the retailer releasing them were found to have been a coincidence and the carriers were purchased by mothers-to-be that work in unrelated departments.
“Both Ubuntu Baba and Woolworths are committed to ensuring that entrepreneurs and small businesses are uplifted and supported.
“We hope that the learnings and positive outcomes of this incident will be used to drive continued Small and Medium Enterprise development in South Africa.”