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British department store House of Fraser has removed animal fur from its stores and website following a ‘tsunami of public protest’.
The retailer stopped selling real fur more than a decade ago but recently ‘u-turned’ the ban after it was brought out by new owner Mike Ashley.
Jackets made with fur from wild coyote, factory-farmed rabbit and raccoon, dog fur from China, and fox fur from Finland were spotted in stores last week – causing furor amongst animal-right activists.
‘A House of Horrors’
In a statement sent to Plant Based News, UK Executive Director of Humane Society International Claire Bass said: “We are delighted to see that cruel animal fur products have been removed from House of Fraser’s website and stores nationwide.
“HoF’s new CEO Mike Ashley has been hit by a tsunami of public protest, with thousands of messages from shoppers shocked and appalled to see this respected high street store turned into a House of Horrors, selling fur from factory-farmed rabbits, foxes, and raccoon dogs as well as coyotes trapped and shot in the wild.
“British shoppers have sent the message loud and clear that fur is bad for business, and has no place on the British high street. We urge House of Fraser to publicly reinstate and uphold its long-standing fur-free policy.”
Photos of the jackets featuring animal fur on Oxford Street, London, have since been removed – with staff telling HSI/UK that there is ‘no animal fur available in any HoF store’.
‘Faux’ fur
House of Fraser also came under fire back in 2017, after it was revealed the store was selling real fur labeled as faux.
According to HSI/UK, the retailer said: “House of Fraser has a strict no fur policy and we ensure all of our suppliers and brand partners are aware of this.
“We would never knowingly mislead our customers, who we believe have the right to know what they purchasing. We are extremely concerned that fur can be mislabelled in this way, particularly for brands that we stock.
“Our customers want assurances that House of Fraser is not complicit in such unnecessary suffering of animals and we take this issue very seriously and have communicated this to the brand in question.”
Plant Based News has contacted House of Fraser for comment
