Primark will now donate proceeds from Pride merchandise…starting next year

After being accused of “cashing in” on Pride events, Primark will start donating proceeds to LGBT+ charities next summer.

The company has been selling Pride-themed t-shirts all over the UK during Pride season, including in London and Manchester.

But in response to an enquiry last week, Primark revealed that the sales of these tops did not support any LGBT+ charities, despite customers’ assumptions.

One customer called Robin tweeted the response she received from the shopping chain – worth hundreds of millions of pounds – after asking if any of the proceeds generated from using LGBT+ imagery were going to support the LGBT+ community.

A Primark spokesperson responded: “In this instance, I can confirm that we are not making a donation linked to the sales from the Pride t-shirt range.”

Hey everyone, just so you know none of the profits from Primarks pride products are going to LGBT+ charities, gr8 one lads pic.twitter.com/gsIGhHjG8Q

— Robin Grace ✌ ️ (@RobinGraceC) 25 August 2017

In light of this, Primark was criticised, with many people accusing the store of only allying with the LGBT+ community to make a profit.

Short answer is no – they aren’t donating anything. Happy to make a profit from Pride but not give anything back.

— Tofer Carroll (@toferbrum) 29 August 2017

Primark is not the only high street retailer to sell Pride-themed items, but is one of the few to have not linked these sales to a charitable donation.

Prominent companies such as Tesco and Skittles sold Pride-themed items this year, and subsequently donated a portion of the profits to LGBT+ charities.

Primark has now responded to the backlash, saying that they are “committing to donating to an LGBT charity for next year’s Pride campaign.”

In a statement to Manchester Evening News, Primark defended itself.

“We take LGBT rights very seriously at Primark.

“We are a member of Stonewall, one of Europe’s largest LGBT rights organisations.

“We are part of their Global Diversity Champions programme, which aims to ensure all lesbian, gay, bi and trans employees are accepted without exception in workplaces worldwide.”

The spokesperson added: “As a large retailer we have an extensive charity programme, both at a national and local level, donating to a variety of charities throughout the year, across all the markets in which we operate.

“We constantly review our preferred charities and are always open to suggestions.”

The details of this arrangement will not be revealed until next year.

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