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Marks & Spencer accused of ‘defamatory’ statements against Save during public inquiry

By Rachel Douglass

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Retail

Image: Marks & Spencer, Facebook

Following a public inquiry surrounding the potential redevelopment of its Marble Arch store, Marks & Spencer has been accused of making “false claims” towards charity group Save Britain’s Heritage in statements it had issued to the media.

According to the organisation, which took the retailer to court over its plans to demolish its flagship on Oxford Street, Marks & Spencer had made a series of “misleading and inaccurate claims” that “wrongly” suggested Save had accepted its scheme.

Save said that it had sent a legal letter to Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman demanding for a retraction and an apology.

In the letter, the group said that the statements misrepresented the differences between Save and Marks & Spencer’s sustainability analysis, such as the claim that Save had accepted Marks & Spencer’s long-term sustainability benefits of the scheme and that no sustainability witnesses had therefore been called on.

The organisation noted that two of its three expert witnesses had focused on sustainability, and that a joint position statement issued by Save and Marks & Spencer experts during the inquiry highlighted that a “significant amount” of the case remained “in dispute”.

Save went on to further accuse Marks & Spencer of providing no weight to its claim that the scheme would see a carbon ‘payback’ against a refurbishment alternative or that it had fully explored other options before making the decision to demolish the building.

Save added that the statements could cause “serious harm” and undermine its wider work of promoting the sustainable reuse of historic buildings.

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