A social media campaign to boycott Sir Philip Green’s retail empire gained momentum over the weekend after sexual harassment allegations against the businessman came to light.
Twitter users have said they would boycott shopping at Green’s Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge and Wallis stores, using the#BoycottTopshop and #PinkNotGreen hashtags to raise awareness of the campaign.
Meanwhile, other Twitter users commented that a boycott of the Arcadia Group businesses would have little effect on the billionaire but could instead damage the thousands of employees that work for the company.
Although Green’s wife Tina Green that owns the Arcadia Group, Green himself is chairman.
The boycott comes as he spoke to the Mail on Sunday, denying allegations of harassment.
Speaking from a spa in Arizona, Green said he felt he was “being used as target practice when there is zero [evidence] that anyone has turned up with”.
“It’s injuring my business, all the people potentially working in the business, and it’s injuring me and my family,” he said.
He added: “I’ve been in business for more than 40 years.
“There has obviously from time to time been some banter, but as far as I’m concerned that’s never been offensive.”
On Thursday – within hours after parliamentary privilege saw him being identified in the House of Lords as the unnamed businessman in a City #MeToo scandal that faced a legal injunction – Green said he “categorically and wholly” denied the allegations of “unlawful sexual or racist behaviour”.
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