Marks and Spencer support new 'Hooters' in Bristol

[JessinAvalon]

Dear all
This is my first post on here so I hope I am doing this right!

I live in Bristol and, last week, 'Hooters' was granted a licence to open in the city centre. The site is virtually opposite 3 apartment blocks, the lower floors of which are social housing and children are living in them.

What's most disappointing is that Marks and Spencer are leasing the site to 'Hooters'. They have been e-mailed by many concerned people to ask if they will reconsider leasing the building but they have just replied saying it is a "commercial decision" (as if that makes it ok!). In Sheffield, a 'Hooters' didn't even make it to application stage because the developer (Ask Pizza) realised that it would be better not to be associated with a company like 'Hooters'.

Marks and Spencer don't seem that concerned, however. Although they have signed up to the "Let Girls Be Girls" Mumsnet campaign they are not concerned about a company which sells merchandise including babygros which say "Future Hooters Girl" and "Does my butt look big in this?"

I have written to Marks and Spencer telling them that I won't be shopping in their stores again. If you feel strongly about this, please e-mail:

[email protected].

'Hooters' tries to sell itself as a family friendly restaurant but it is anything but. The Hooters in Nottingham attracts mainly stag parties and football fans. Hooters Girls take part in bikini contests and iced wet t-shirt competitions (the t-shirts are put in the freezers before the girls wear them). 'Hooters' has links to Playboy magazine....I could go on.....

I think Marks and Spencer should be shamed for facilitating this company's expansion into Bristol. They are selling women and girls down the river by leasing to this company and all just to make a "quick buck".

Thanks everyone.

Uggh this is disgusting. Have emailed and here's what I wrote if anyone needs inspiration:

Dear Sir

"I have shopped at M+S all my life and have a credit card with your company.

I will not be shopping at any of your stores or using my M+S card again until I am reassured that your company will reverse it's 'commercial decision' to lease premises in Bristol (or indeed any town) to the US based 'Hooters' chain. I feel extremely strongly about the blase sexualisation of public space and do not want my children to grow up in a world where this kind of objectification is seen as ok and condoned by a family company such as yours.

I'm sure you're aware of the current talk on Mumsnet and facebook about this - surely this is an opportunity to turn negative publicity into goodwill by withdrawing your support of this pernicious and offensive business?

I look forward to your response"

Hope they see sense. Right, my nearest town's on that damn list so time to email the planners next ...

Tokyo: I know really, but they have taken a number of ethical decisions over the years, about the kinds of staff they employ, free range eggs, fair trade coffee and bananas, for example. These are not in themselves massive things and obviously they calculate that their shoppers will pay over the odds to pay for these things, but even if they are utterly cynical, it's still worth calling them on this. They, after all, make a point of it.

I have emailed too - unbelievable stock response. Was just off to get some underwear for DC - not any more

Jess: forgot to say how impressed I am by your campaign. My town is on the list too and this has given me lots of ideas about how to prepare for this. This is one for the next local Fawcett meeting and perhaps should be a national Fawcett campaign. Thanks.

There was an amazing charity in Bristol dealing with prostitutes...called One25 charity and the chocolate thing that's opening is a project helping coco growers in Ghana, can't think of a more inappropriate site.

the harbourside forum, meeting on Wednesday 6th October

Have signed the petition and will email later.

Hooters in Birmingham opened up at least ten years ago, when I was an undergraduate there. I was horrified that the council had allowed it, and deeply uncomfortable about walking past this place to get to the central library and the Symphony Hall. There is no doubt that the presence of Hooters changes the atmosphere of an area, in this case from a welcoming shared cultural space to somewhere I suddenly felt extremely self conscious and alienated from those around me. Its failure delighted me, not only because it wasn't there any more, but because I thought it indicated (as a 'commercial decision'!) that nobody else had wanted them either. It's makes me very sad to find them resurgent years later, and its impossible not to connect this with the rise in lapdancing culture which has happened since they opened in Birmingham.

Have e-mailed. Hideous merchandise.

LG could you update if you hear from your local council (either here or on MN Local? I am pretty sure your town is my town. I have lots of friends who will join me in objecting strongly if they try it here.

I wonder what location they are planning for Birmingham this time?

I have searched the planning applications on the Birmingham council website, but it's quite difficult to navigate. I don't know what to search for, we have Gallus, but it would be so easy to miss something

Thanks LG, very much appreciated. I agree that the poor information sharing is unhelpful to the process of consultation, especially in an age where its so easy to make these things available. I think there'll be very vocal opposition here.

I'm struck by how well I remember the feelings I had about the Birmingham one. The fact that it's supposed to be a restaurant means that in some ways a branch of Hooters is more in your face than a lapdancing club. Everyone walking past can observe the transaction they exist to facilitate. I would imagine, as tokyonambu suggests, that this was a factor in the failure of the Birmingham branch, but it's quite possibly more widely acceptable to buy other people's bodies these days.

Has anyone heard back from M&S. The reason being is that not all Simply Food stores are owned by M&S. A fair few are franchised - this could have been a franchised store that closed down.

The articles and discussions seem to say that it wasn't franchised, that M&S had been trying to let the space for a long time, apparently it has been languishing empty for quite some time.

I'm presuming that the lease is held by M&S itself as they have responded to e-mails with a standard answer saying that they have decided to lease the store to Gallus and that it's a commercial decision. I'm guessing that, had it not been owned by them, they would have redirected queries.

Have emailed too. No more shopping at M&S for me.

"The fact that it's supposed to be a restaurant means that in some ways a branch of Hooters is more in your face than a lapdancing club. Everyone walking past can observe the transaction they exist to facilitate. I would imagine, as tokyonambu suggests, that this was a factor in the failure of the Birmingham branch, but it's quite possibly more widely acceptable to buy other people's bodies these days."

I thought it was quite hideous, and contributed to the normalisation of the sex trade. It was as thought I'd missed a meeting at which the 1970s and onwards were rewound, and the city had reverted to the days of Miss World on prime-time TV. The excuses used by the council were woeful (as they were for the filth that replaced Ronnie Scott's, the disgusting "Spearmint Rhino", and so on).

Birmingham licensing is notoriously strict, as a legacy of the Quaker heritage, and is willing to go to the mats with license applicants on grounds of local impact, excessive numbers of premises, etc when other cities wouldn't. See, for example, the shambles over licensing the Tesco Express on Linden Road, just over the border from the BVT. They would not normally be intimidated into granted an on license, and without a license to sell alcohol such places cannot function commercially. I presume that city councillors use these places and are therefore happy for their daughters to be intimidated by them.

Dear posieparker
Thank you for emailing Sir Stuart about the sub-letting of our former Simply Food store at Bristol Harbourside. As a member of Sir Stuart?s personal team, I am replying on his behalf.
I am sorry you feel let down by our decision to sub-let this site to Gallus Restaurants. This is a commercial decision and Gallus has received A3 business use permission from Bristol City Council for the property.
It has been reported that Gallus plan to open a branch of ?Hooters? in the property. I have noted your comments about Hooters; however, we do not feel it is appropriate for us to comment on the Hooters brand.
Thank you for taking the time to share your views with us.
Kind regards
George Mason
Executive Office
Your M&S Customer Service
( Tel: 020 7935 4422

• E-mail: [email protected] : Website: www.marksandspencer.com ? Address: Executive Office Chester Business Park, Wrexham Road Chester, CH4 9GA -Original Message-

Sent: 12 September 2010 10:40
To: Chairman at Marks & Spencer
Subject: Hooters
Dear Chair,

Could you please enlighten me what prompted your leasing any of your buildings to an establishment that promotes the objectification of women? How can I justify shopping with you?

Many Thanks

posieparker
Bristol Resident.

This is awful. I actually wanted to cry reading a blurb about this restaurant. It's just wrong on so many levels. Wrong that they can employ people on the basis of their gender and level of attractiveness, wrong that the employees have to sign away their rights as an equal citizen, wrong that this is a restaurant, wrong that men can go there and normalise their desire to gaze upon women as sexual objects which can be paid for and expected.

I am the owner of generous norks to which I am largely indifferent and feel horrified and threatened that such a chain is opening stores in two nearby towns. Presumably I can now expect that walking through the area, my chest is fair game for ogling at? That it doesn't really belong to me at all? I feel sick.

The police objected, be interested to know why.

Toyonambu, if you hear about an application for a new Birmingham Hooters I will be happy to write with my memories of the old one, even though I no longer live there. It was exactly as you say. Beyond grim.