SHOTLIST AP Television London, 8 May 2009 1. Shoppers walking past Marks and Spencer store 2. Shopper walking out of M&S; store 3. Cutaway of M&S; sign 4. Shopper examines dress inside store VNR (M&S;) 5. Various stills showing M&S; range of bras AP Television London, 8 May 2009 6. Beckie Williams walks past M&S; store 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Beckie Williams, campaigner: "I think it's definitely hard for bigger-breasted women on the High Street. I think historically there's been bad availability, bad fitting, and then to stick an extra charge on top seemed a bit unfair for us. Finally all these women had a place to vent their frustrations, and that's why it's really taken off." 8. Shoppers emerging from M&S; store 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox Pop: "People shouldn't be penalised just because they've got bigger boobs. It should all be the same price." 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox Pop: "Everyone's a different shape and size. You shouldn't have to pay for a different size." 11. Newspaper adverts from M&S; admitting they made a mistake 12. Jennifer Creevy, news editor of Retail Week, reading magazine 13. SOUNDBITE (English) Jennifer Creevy, news editor, Retail Week: "Marks and Spencer are right in absolutely listening to their customers. I think they needed to. I think it's wrong for them to charge extra for these larger sizes of bras, but you have to take your hat off to M&S; for acting quickly and doing something about it, and for taking adverts out in the national press today to say 'we are sorry, we admit it'." 14. People walking past M&S; store STORYLINE: It's one of the most powerful companies in Britain - but Marks and Spencer was forced to back down on Friday after imposing a three dollar surcharge on larger-size bras. The retail giant was forced into retreat after an avalanche of complaints from 14-thousand customers who put their name to a Facebook campaign. The company took out full-page advertisements in several national newspapers, apologising and admitting it was wrong. "We boobed," the headline said. Marks and Spencer also announced a 25-per cent reduction in price of all of its bras, irrespective of size, for the coming fortnight. The about-turn was forced by a campaign group called Busts 4 Justice, founded by Beckie Williams and a group of friends. "I think it's definitely hard for bigger-breasted women on the High Street," she said. "Historically there's been bad availability, bad fitting, and then to stick an extra charge on top seemed a bit unfair for us." As Williams celebrated her victory, shoppers outside an M&S; branch in London added their support to the campaign. "People shouldn't be penalised just because they've got bigger boobs," one woman said. "It should all be the same price." The company's decision to back down, and to apologise in national press advertisements, was welcomed by corporate analyst Jennifer Creevy, news editor at Retail Week magazine. "I think it's wrong for them to charge extra for these larger sizes of bras, but you have to take your hat off to M&S; for acting quickly and doing something about it," she said. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c3261dd0c3384e63ee64cf8c9aa33bde Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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