LONDON — B&Q and Five Guys are among 658 UK businesses named by the government after staff were paid below the minimum wage. More than 600 employers have been ordered to repay affected workers, with £4m returned so far, according to the Department for Business and Trade.
The firms have also been hit with £7m in penalties. The list covers shops, restaurants, nurseries, social care providers and several NHS trusts, though the government has not said over what period the underpayments happened.
The national minimum wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. It is £10.85 for 18 to 20-year-olds, and £8 for under-18s and apprentices.
B&Q and Five Guys say the underpayments were not deliberate
According to the government, B&Q underpaid 4,530 workers by more than £456,000. The company said the shortfalls were unintentional and linked to calculations involving geographical allowances that sit alongside hourly rates. It said all affected colleagues were paid in full in July 2025.
Five Guys was named as owing more than £54,000 to 3,699 staff. The chain said technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied caused the underpayments, which were identified in a review by HMRC, the UK tax authority. It said it worked closely and transparently with HMRC and has made all required payments to current and former employees.
The government said the naming exercise is intended to show that underpaying staff will be tackled, whether the mistakes are large or small.
Hospitals, care providers and childcare firms also appear on the list
Several health and care organisations were also included. St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group failed to pay more than £123,000 to 75 workers, while St George’s University Hospitals in Wandsworth, London, underpaid 55 workers.
A spokesman for the two hospital trusts said no colleagues were underpaid. He said the issue concerned a technical compliance matter, where part of a salary sacrifice arrangement, such as childcare contributions, was not counted towards the national minimum wage even though gross pay was above the threshold.
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust said apprentices were underpaid between 2019 and 2023 because meetings, handovers and time spent changing into uniform had not been counted. The trust said its policies and practices have since changed. The list also included nursing homes and multiple childcare providers.
The first employers named by the new Fair Work Agency range from healthcare to leisure
The list was sorted by the amount of wages not paid. The first 10 employers included B&Q, Elysium Healthcare Holdings 3 in Borehamwood, Support Staff Services in Slough, Forest Holidays in Moira, and Merlin Cinemas in Redruth.
Also among the top 10 were Lanes Group in Leeds, UK Care Team in Leicester, Five Guys JV in London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and the hospital groups named above. B&Q was the largest case on the list, followed by Elysium Healthcare Holdings 3, which failed to pay more than £330,000 to 1,095 workers.
The naming round is the first since the Fair Work Agency was created in April under the Employment Rights Act. The agency will also soon take on cases involving holiday and sick pay. Matthew Taylor, who chairs its advisory board, said paying the minimum wage is not optional and that employers falling short should expect robust enforcement.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government wants to stamp out short-changing staff. Kate Dearden, minister for the future of work, said underpaying workers is illegal and employers should check their payroll and contact Acas if they need support.
First 10 employers named by the government
- B&Q Ltd, £456,934.72 owed to 4,530 workers
- Elysium Healthcare Holdings 3, Borehamwood, £330,048.81 owed to 1,095 workers
- St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group, £123,331.97 owed to 75 workers
- Support Staff Services Limited, Slough, £119,715.13 owed to 323 workers
- Forest Holidays Ltd, Moira, £100,308.68 owed to 598 workers
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London (Wandsworth), £77,498.91 owed to 55 workers
- Lanes Group Limited, Leeds, £67,893.34 owed to 297 workers
- UK Care Team Ltd, Leicester, LE19, £67,082.76 owed to 99 workers
- Five Guys JV Limited, London (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), £54,642.47 owed to 3,699 workers
- Merlin Cinemas Limited, Redruth, £50,198.75 owed to 181 workers
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