Please join boycott Marks and Spencer facebook group

[JessinAvalon]

Dear all
A boycott Marks and Spencer facebook group has been set up to protest against their decision to sub-lease a building to Hooters in Bristol.

Boycott Marks and Spencer group

Please join it and the spread the word.

The big orange Hooters sign has gone up in Bristol.

We are about to be subjected to things like this...

Hooters girls pimping to the max

Hooters sponsors youth football tournament in Nottingham

Family friendly? I think not!

Interesting - from Wikipedia:

^Female employees are required to sign that they "acknowledge and affirm" the following:

1.My job duties require I wear the designated Hooters Girl uniform.
2.My job duties require that I interact with and entertain the customers.
3.The Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal and the work environment is one in which joking and entertaining conversations are commonplace.
4.I do not find my job duties, uniform requirements, or work environment to be offensive, intimidating, hostile, or unwelcome.^

Hi Elephants
Without getting a mole within the company, the only thing I can suggest doing is keeping an eye on the local planning and licensing applications. Look out for an American style sports cafe type application. It could well be in the name of Gallus Management or Bubo but I wouldn't be surprised if it was under the name of another company as Gallus has now attracted so much publicity.

BarmyArmy - exactly! It's as if the company is acknowledging that the work environment will be offensive, intimidating, hostile and unwelcome but, in signing the contract, you sign away your rights to complain. They are effectively saying "we told you so, now don't come to us when you don't like it".

That's the US contract. We haven't seen the UK contract yet.

no no no

what I don't get, Jess, is that 'American style sports cafe' doesn't really describe Hooters, so how can their licenses be valid if granted under that description?

also if we do come across an application describing it as that, from a company other than Gallus/Bubo, how do we find out if it is Hooters or not?

Hi Sethstarkaddersmum
That's the problem...they disguise their applications. I did read their application somewhere online - I'll see if I have saved a copy so that I can let you have it. You can see the description then. If you suspect that's what an application might be, there are always ways of finding out. Probably best to pm so that I can suggest some ideas for you?

Joined your Facebook group.

Just wish I had managed to do something about the 'Secrets' lap dancing club that opened round the corner from here.

Yuck. I feel for you having something like that nearby.

In answer to the question of why the licence was granted with the description not fitting, I agree. The whole basis for the licence being granted was questionable hence why many people in Bristol are so angry about it.

They do have footage of US sports showing. But clearly that's not its USP.

Interesting to hear the manager of Hooters Nottingham on 5 Live last night splutter when asked why the restaurant is called Hooters. I think he stammered out something about owls in the end.

I wonder why Hooters proudly gives so much money to breast cancer charities each year then (except that Breast Cancer Research don't want to be associated with them apparently) instead of owl rescue centres?

I think I must have the wrong magazine because I couldn't find anything about owls on here.

Hooters magazine

who is in charge of licensing applications and the way they are considered? is there any kind of umbrella organisation that tells the local authorities how to go about it?

I mean, we really need - regardless of any individual decision - them to agree that 'American style sports cafe' is not an adequate description of a breastaurant and give guidance to the licensing committees along those lines...

or does it just effectively happen like case law so the only way that could happen would be for an appeal to succeed on those grounds?

I don't know, Sethstarkaddersmum - good question. There is a council ombudsman and we have considered taking a complaint to the ombudsman about the procedure that was followed. However, you need to make a complaint to the council first and, only if they respond inadequately, can you take it further.

We have also considered requesting a judicial review but again I'm not entirely sure what the process (also not a lawyer emoticon!). I'm leaving that particular bit to someone else to research.

The trouble is that the description of the place satisfied our licensing committee (hmmm...) so they granted the licence without much discussion.

I'm sure the lawyers this company employs (tempted to give the name so that businesses in Bristol may wish to avoid them in future) are well briefed on how to get around all the licensing requirements.

It's just occurred to me that there is the Local Government Association. I saw Richard Kemp (the chair?) speak at a conference a couple of years ago regarding the lap dancing legislation. He is very much on side and it could be taken to him. He did a brilliant speech about lap dancing clubs threatening to go to the European Court of Human Rights if they feel their business is under threat from the new SEV legislation. Richard Kemp said "bring it on!"

Link to the LGA website

Oh that's excellent Jess.
I will write formally to them/Richard Kemp if he's still in place, as a concerned citizen, expressing my concern about the misleading phrasing of licensing applications and the fact that it may prevent me from finding out about Hooters-type places opening in my area.

will copy my letter to you when I've done it.

Joined. Totally agree.

Have joined too and will email also. Hope it helps.

This is my email if anyone wants to copy and paste for convenience.

Dear Sir

I understand that Marks & Spencer?s has sublet one of its Simply Food outlets to Hooters. I am deeply surprised and question the commercial logic and foresight in doing this. Perhaps you could explain?

As a long term customer I am emailing you to inform you how appalled I am that you are supporting Hooters and I am strongly considering ceasing to give you any more custom.

I would be very grateful if you would confirm what action you propose to take to stop further supporting and enabling the sexual exploitation of women by subletting your premises to such a business.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Hi Tullytwo
Thanks for getting in touch with them.

Your response will say something like...."commercial decision....A3 planning permission.....thank you for getting in touch with your concerns....sorry to hear that you are disappointed with this decision...."

I put money on it!

Just wanted to bump this thread.

"From Wikipedia ^Female employees are required to sign that they "acknowledge and affirm" the following:

1.My job duties require I wear the designated Hooters Girl uniform.
2.My job duties require that I interact with and entertain the customers.
3.The Hooters concept is based on female sex appeal and the work environment is one in which joking and entertaining conversations are commonplace.
4.I do not find my job duties, uniform requirements, or work environment to be offensive, intimidating, hostile, or unwelcome.^"

The above sounds like the job description for every bar job I've ever had - only they are more up front (ahem) about it.

hmm i worry more about girls being illegally used in the sex industry than those who willingly join employment in a place like this. M&S is a business, not a charity...i can't see why they would turn down a company applying to lease its premises at a good price. Would you decline someone from paying the best price for your house cos you disagreed with their morals?

FindingMyMojo - as someone who has worked in bars and casinos I couldn't agree more.

I used to live round the corner from Hooters in Nottingham. I would pass the hideous orange sign and wonder what the male equivalent of a Hooters would be called. Eventually I decided on Plonkers.

Hi Coraltoes
I don't see it as a moral issue. The exploitation and objectification of women is not a moral issue - it's a social problem and is one that affects us all. I don't believe that the rights of a few take precedence over the rights of women not to be objectified.

As for the M&S issue, it has been discussed at length on other threads. M&S have signed up to the Mumsnet 'Let Girls Be Girls' campaign and have therefore committed not to endorse or sell services or products which promote the early sexualisation of girls (and boys). In allowing one of their stores to be leased to a 'Hooters' they are going against the principles of the campaign (see the babygros saying "does my butt look big in this?").

It indicates that Marks and Spencer's commitment to the campaign is lacking as they are willing to discard the principles of the campaign when they can make some money on an empty building - and it's not as if they are a poor company and cannot afford to exercise some ethical standards over shareholders' profit occasionally.

The Ask Pizza restaurant chain decided that it didn't want to be associated with 'Hooters' when it had the option of sub-leasing one of its empty restaurants to the franchise in Sheffield. The negative local publicity was enough to make it withdraw from negotiations. 3 national newspapers ran the story about M&S and 'Hooters' and this wasn't enough to make M&S reconsider their association with the company. Their responses to the hundreds of e-mails they've had have been disappointing, to say the least.

It's Hooters. It's not a brothel or a lap dancing club.

This has got anything to do with Let Girls Be Girls whatsoever. I was under the impression that the baby stuff isn't available in the UK, UK store seems to be offline ATM.