Far be it for The Brand Avenger to chime
into an issue that can be as controversial as religion however I think it would
be fair to say M&S will face a tricky challenge to their brand reputation
following the recent news that Muslim staff have the right to refuse sales of
meat and alcoholic products at till.
Regardless of whether you believe it is
right or wrong for religious concessions to conflict with customer service it
is clear M&S are in the middle of a controversy they wouldn’t want their
brand associated with. At this time of year where retail sales flourish and
meat and alcohol purchases spike, no retailer wants to be at the center of a
storm that leads to such polar opposite views on the rights and wrongs.
M&S have moved quickly to issue an
apology for the stance taken by the staff member, citing that as an
all-inclusive business all religious concessions are tolerated and accepted. In
many ways they have done everything they can to demonstrate a caring and
considerate view towards the issue however will this be enough to calm the
issue?
The media won’t certainly let the retailer
nor the public forget about the recent news anytime soon. As long as the media
continue to cover the story over the coming days M&S will spend Christmas
in controversy. The exact time when the controversy will end will depend on how
much of a stir is created on Twitter and how far the issue progresses. Let’s
hope for the sake of the M&S brand the incident on Saturday is treated as a
storm in a teacup as opposed to anything more major.
And Merry Christmas to all those who have
followed The Brand Avenger this year.
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