Superdrug has apologised to customers in a religious Hebridean community after announcing plans to open on the Sabbath.
A poster displayed last week in the shop in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis gave details of festive opening hours – including four hours next Sunday.
It said the store would be open 12pm to 4pm on December 22 – though closed on every other Sunday.
But after the opening was questioned by religious locals, it was removed and replaced with a second notice on the window saying: “We have no plans to open on a Sunday at present.”
The swift U-turn follows a controversial decision last month by Tesco to open on a Sunday in Stornoway despite strong
opposition from islanders including church members.
Nearly 200 protested against the decision at a public meeting last month after the plans were first revealed by the Sunday Mail.
An online petition asking Tesco not to go ahead attracted more than 2000 signatures in four weeks.
Yesterday, Superdrug said the Sunday opening announcement had been a mistake.
A spokesperson said: “The Superdrug Stornoway store has no plans to open on a Sunday.
“The sign displayed was put up in human error and this has now been rectified.
“We apologise for any confusion or distress this may have caused.”
An islander said: “People saw the first sign and were going into the shop asking why they were opening on the last Sunday before Christmas when they’re not opening any other Sunday.
“It looked like they were cashing in on those last shopping days before Christmas but there’s a lot of resentment over these big retailers opening on the Sabbath so people weren’t too pleased.”
Opponents claim people have stopped shopping at Tesco since its Sunday opening.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We have been pleased to welcome hundreds of customers to the Stornoway Superstore on Sundays over recent weeks. This change improves the shopping experience for local customers by offering them flexibility and reducing busy periods during the week.”
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