Compassionate retailers sign the fur-free pledge and help you shop with confidence

Monday, January 21, 2008

Respect for Animals is delighted to confirm that Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains with almost 800 stores, has signed up to the Fur Free Retailers scheme.  The supermarket, with its TU clothing and homewares ranges, has pledged that it will not use real animal fur. 

It joins other compassionate UK retailers already signed up to the scheme: Topshop, Marks & Spencer and the Co-operative Group. 

In addition, Mavro Vintage, an online specialist vintage clothing retailer has also become a Fur Free Retailer.  Signing the pledge the store’s owner, Adele Crann, explained that she was committed not to trade in any real fur products.

- Sainsbury’s (http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shoppingandservices/clothing/party.htm)
- The Co-operative Group - including footwear retailer Shoefayre (http://www.co-operative.co.uk)
- Marks & Spencer (http://www.marksandspencer.com)
- Topshop (http://www.topshop.com)
- Marvo Vintage (http://www.mavrovintage.co.uk)

More than 50 million animals are killed each year just for their fur - either bred and raised in small barren cages on factory fur farms or caught in the wild by brutal steel-jawed leg-hold traps. Opinion polls conducted over the last 10 years have consistently shown that more than 70% of people in the UK reject fur and only 4% own anything made from fur.

To support the Fur Free Retailer campaign you can:

Support these compassionate retailers and thank them for their fur-free stance
Ask your favourite clothing retailers to join the Fur Free Retailers scheme - and send us their response

To help you can:

Never buy or wear any real fur
If your favourite retailer hasn’t yet signed the pledge please ask them to do so.  All it takes is a quick email - see below - and don’t forget to let us know their response
If you see real fur for sale in shops - let us know so we can investigate further
Check back here regularly to see the last list of compassionate retailers

Here are the Customer Services contact details for some UK retailers who have yet to sign up to the scheme:

Next
Email: Customer_Services@next.co.uk

Monsoon and Accessorize
Phone 0207 313 3000 //Write to:  Customer Services, Monsoon House, 179 Harrow Road, London W2 6NB

Russell and Bromley
Email: customerservice@russellandbromley.co.uk

Matalan
Send email from: http://www.matalan.co.uk/pages/contactus/getintouch

New Look
Freephone 0500 454094 / Write to: Customer Services, Mercery Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 5HJ

John Lewis
Further info: http://www.johnlewis.com/Help/Help.aspx?HelpId=4#contact

Paul Smith
Email: info@paulsmith.co.uk

The Fur Free Retailers initiative is a campaign by the Fur Free Alliance (http://www.inFURmation.com). Respect for Animals runs the Fur Free Retailers initiative in the UK.  For information about the initiative in other countries go to: http://www.furfreeshopping.com/b_about.php

What the retailers say about the Fur Free Retailers initiative:

Karyn Fenn, Topshop Buying Director:
“Topshop is delighted to sign up to the Fur Free Retailers initiative.  We have a long standing anti fur policy and we feel very strongly about the use of real fur in fashion and believe that the breeding of animals for their skins can not be justified. To create the look we use high quality faux and artificial furs.”

Katie Stafford, Sustainable Development Manager, Marks & Spencer:
“Animal welfare is an issue which both Marks & Spencer and our customers are passionate about. This is why we have maintained high animal welfare standards for many years and remain committed to our strict no fur policy. We welcome the Fur Free scheme as it will help people interested in animal welfare issues to choose products from retailers that have made a pledge to only sell Fur Free products.”

Chris Mills, Ethical Policy Manager, the Co-operative Group:
“In signing up to this initiative, the Co-operative Group is restating its long-standing position on the fur trade. Furthermore, this complements the existing Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Insurance Ethical Policies and ensures that all Co-operative Group businesses are broadly aligned in their response to this issue. The Ethical Policies of both the Bank and Co-operative Insurance reflect the ethical concerns of our customers, and they consistently tell us that the fur trade is an important issue for them.”

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