Marks & Spencer fires loyalty card chief over racism claims

British department store group Marks & Spencer has fired Suzanna Broer, who was chief of its new loyalty scheme, for allegedly using racist language.

Broer, who was responsible for the development and launch of M&S's new membership card scheme Sparks, is said to have been dismissed for 'gross misconduct' in mid-November, following claims she used racist language. The department store group confirmed her exit, although a spokesman declined to comment on the grounds of her exit.

She first joined the team at M&S from Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn in 2014 and was appointed Global Director for Loyalty and Insight, before she fired less than a month after the launch of the new Sparks reward card. According to an initial report from the Sunday Times, she has been succeeded by Nathan Ansell, former Head of Marketing for M&S Food.

The M&S spokesman added that the company would never comment on individual cases, noting: "Marks & Spencer does not tolerate any form of discrimination in the workplace. We pride ourselves on being an equal opportunities employer and aim to create an inclusive and supportive environment across all of our workplaces at every level of our organisation. We will always take all the necessary steps to protect our employees from discrimination of any kind."

The news of Broer's termination comes days before the company is set to publish an update on the Christmas trading period, with analysts predicting a hit to M&S's general merchandise division once more.

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