Retailer Liberty withdraws fur products from shelves
21 Jul '05
2 min read
Major British fur retailer Liberty faced with a spate of e-mail campaign by animal activists, has decided not to sell fur.
Located at the upmarket department store on Regent Street in central London, the retailer announced its decision after the Campaign to Abolish the Fur Trade (Caft) ran a successful campaign of e-mails and demonstration held outside the store in November.
The Caft website shows an email copy from Liberty's Retail Services Manager, Richard Davis mentioning that “Liberty no longer sell fur Liberty no longer sells fur and has no intention of doing so in the future.”
Earlier, another leading entity of the retail world - Selfridge's announced going fur free in May joining the ranks of Harvey Nichols, Fenwicks, House of Fraser and Debenhams. Harrods that shut operations of its fur salon in 1990 but continues to sell garments with fur trims.
Caft now targets another fashion retailer Joseph that was taken over by a Japanese clothing company.
The British Fur Traders Association (BFTA) informs that its members registered growth last year of 33 percent on trade worth £500 million ($1.3 billion).
Since 2003 fur farming was banned in Britain, hence furriers import pelts, largely from rabbits, from China and Spain. While about 15 retailers – usually boutique outlets - continue to offer fur products for sale, some 400 designers put their creativity to use on fur.