Poundlands Ban On The Poppy Was Crass!

I read this morning that Poundland had barred their staff from wearing the Poppy which is a traditional means of supporting the servicemen and women who gave their life to make Britain and the World free and democratic.

I cannot say that the policy they have been following fills me with any sort of enthusiasm at all. It is good that public opinion has forced the Executives into a rethink.

But why were they so crass in the first place, to introduce such a divisive policy?

People of all colours and religions have fought for this Country and a free World. They have died in defence of their beliefs. Wearing the Poppy remembers all of them!

I must admit to being ... not so proud as I was previously of the Poundland success story. In 2004 Mary and I performed the opening ceremony of the Poundland store in Wolverhampton. The Poundland Group has had a metoric rise and is trading very well now.

Back in 2004 we performed the opening of the Poundland store as Deputy Mayor and Mayoress. The store was located in the Mander Centre shopping centre in Wolverhampton. All in all it was a very pleasant experience. We met the owner Dave Dodd who explained that he had been with Poundland since the start. That he was Wolverhampton born and bred and he was feeling very proud that he was opening this store in Wolverhampton.

Dave Dodd who was at that time the owner, had started in retail as a market stall holder and he was a mighty proud man knowing that he was now at the head of growing commercial retail organisation.

I duly opened the store with a flourish at smack on 10.00am and a very sizeable crowd flooded into the store.

Poundland provided a nice cheque for the Mayors Charity Fund and 50 items that were picked up by the Mayors staff for raffle prizes during the course of the year for the Mayors Charity.

It was good at that time to see Dave Dodd who was very much a local bloke doing so well and providing some 3,000 jobs in the process. I said in my speech "that I for my part will always look at Poundland with interest."

Who would have thought that seven years on that Poundlands were making the news for all the wrong reasons and that they had made such an error in their public relations!