New Look in ‘fat tax’ row as plus-size sells at a premium
NEW LOOK has been accused of imposing a “fat tax” by charging shoppers more for plus-size clothes.
The high street chain has been selling items from its Curves collection for almost a third more than apparently identical pieces from its core range.
Bosses have promised to review the firm’s pricing structure after the discrepancy was brought to their attention by a shopper. Maria Wassell, a retail supervisor, noticed the price difference at a branch in Ashford, Kent.
Ms Wassell said she was “absolutely disgusted” to discover a pair of green striped trousers cost £22.99 in the Curves range compared with £19.99 in the store’s standard range.
The mother of two walked out of the store and went online, where she found
‘I’m being discriminated against for being plus size when I’m only slightly bigger than average’
a size 18 T-shirt, for which she had paid £12.99 the previous weekend, was being sold for just £9.99 in the standard range – a 30 per cent difference.
“It’s like I’m being discriminated against for being plus size when I’m only slightly bigger than average,” said Ms Wassell. “The average size for a British woman is now a size 16. Plussize purchases are on the increase.
“A lot of retailers do this. Some retailers have claimed that plus-size clothes need more fabric and that’s why it costs more. That’s basically rubbish. I used to work for a plus-size brand, so I do understand a lot about how it works.”
Ms Wassell said she felt the retailer was alienating itself from vast numbers of shoppers with the price disparities.
She said: “Even the trousers in their tall range, which would also require more fabric, are the same price as the normal ones. I’m annoyed.”
Ms Wassell contacted New Look and claimed she was told “products appear similar but may be slightly different”.
A New Look spokesman said: “To ensure pricing differences like these don’t happen in future, we are in the process of reviewing the pricing structure of our plus-size collection in a way which works best for our customers and our business.
“We value all customers, no matter what their body shape or size.”