Lib Dem Baroness Barker: ‘New Look’s revised discount policy shows that equality is good for business’
Lib Dem peer Baroness Barker, has commended retail giant New Look for its decision to change a discount policy which ‘indirectly’ excluded the partners of gay and lesbian staff.
Despite that New Look specifically stated that the discount was “absolutely not designed to be a couples benefit”, a leading law firm advised PinkNews that the policy may have been in breach of the Act by “indirectly discriminating” against people in same-sex couples.
Just one business day later, New Look announced that the policy would be changed to include the staff member, and one other person. The line specifying that the person had to be someone “of the opposite-sex”, was removed.
Baroness Barker told PinkNews: “Well done New Look for taking a new look at their employment policies and deciding to treat LGBT staff equally. Yet more evidence that equality makes good business sense.”
A New Look spokesperson today confirmed to PinkNews: “In light of recent feedback from some of our New Look employees and having reviewed this internally, we have revised our current staff discount policy. Under the new guidelines, our employees will be entitled to a 50% discount for themselves and one other person of their choice.”
The change came following comments criticising the policy from Tory MP Mike Freer, Tory Vice Chair Michael Fabricant, Baroness Barker, leading gay rights charity Stonewall and Labour Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities Gloria De Piero.
Mark Bramwell, a Solicitor at MyLawyer, a firm providing legal services for customers of Barclays, Natwest and RBS, The AA and Admiral, had advised PinkNews that in his opinion the policy had been in breach of the Equality Act through “indirect discrimination”.
New Look, which had a turnover of £1.25 billion in the last year, is one of the largest privately owned business in the UK.
