M&S's storm in a DD cup
Updated on 05 May 2009
A woman has bought a share in Marks & Spencer in the latest round of a battle over its surcharge on bigger bras.
Beckie Williams, 26, who is founder of Facebook group Busts 4 Justice and a 30G herself, said she took the step after efforts as customers hit a brick wall.
Protesters want Marks & Spencer to introduce a "one price fits all" policy and end its "unfair" practice of charging an extra £2 on bras above a DD cup.
But when Miss Williams, a writer from Brighton, received an email from M&S saying the policy would not be changed, she bought a £3.40 share to have the chance to confront chairman Sir Stuart Rose at the next annual meeting in July.
She also plans to write to him to put forward the "bigger-boobed women's" case.
She said: "I was surprised and very disappointed when I got the email. It wouldn't have been a massive concession for them to do it. They won't listen to me as a customer but they might listen to me as a shareholder."
Miss Williams accused M&S of taking a complacent attitude over its pricing and pointed out that other lingerie shops do not make people pay more for larger bras.
"It's ridiculous," she said. "You don't do it for other items of clothing so I don't understand the logic. We do go to other shops but M&S have the biggest share in the lingerie market in the country."
She said she launched the campaign because she wanted to try to do something positive instead of "whingeing".
Busts 4 Justice now has more than 7,800 members, which helped Miss Williams realise she was far from alone in feeling frustrated by the situation.
M&S said it offered "the most comprehensive DD+ collection and one of the most competitively priced on the high street" but an extra charge was required for the work involved in making larger bras.
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