A leading clothing chain has been accused by senior doctors of irresponsible advertising after it refused to remove cigarettes from its window displays.
Jack Wills, which styles itself as “outfitters to the gentry” and markets to affluent students, has five stores in London and 25 elsewhere in Britain.
Doctors and public health officials in Gloucestershire have complained about the store’s repeated use of discarded cigarette butts in its window displays, claiming that it “lacks corporate responsibility in its implicit promotion of smoking”.
In a letter to The Times today, a group of health professionals led by Sam Guglani, a consultant oncologist at Cheltenham General Hospital, says: “Tobacco remains the only legal product responsible for the premature death of half of all life-long users ... Jack Wills declare their platform as being ‘fabulously British’. It is in fact an embarrassment to Britain that a leading national brand so easily ignores the responsibilities necessitated by its promotional privileges.”
Dr Guglani said that he first noticed the use of cigarettes in the chain’s Cheltenham branch in March and had been told by staff that it was used to promote an “Oxford university” image as part of a national strategy.
When he wrote to the chain to complain, he received a reply that read: “Jack Wills has always set out to target customers over 18 years of age and in particular those aged 18-22. The window display aims to depict ‘real life’ situations associated with that particular age group.”
Public health officials from NHS Gloucestershire’s Stop Smoking Services also wrote to the store asking Jack Wills to “review your marketing strategy and remove these products immediately”.
Dr Guglani said that although the store had since changed its displays, cigarette ends were still used, along with discarded bottles, apparently to signal “cool, contemporary youth culture”.
He added: “Four months later, as very much younger teenagers pass daily, gazing at the window and shopping at the store, the cigarettes remain. What message is Jack Wills sending them?”
Smoking fell to its lowest recorded level in 2007, with 21 per cent of Britons aged 16 and over smoking. But rates are highest in the 20-24 age group, where 31 per cent smoke.
Dr Guglani said: “Daily I treat people with lung cancer and cutting down on smoking is the most important way of reducing the incidence of this horrible disease.
“Jack Wills’ purpose is to sell clothing, but they were intentionally or explicitly aligning smoking with that product, presumably part of a promotional identity.
“They are at risk of promoting that lifestyle. It isn’t for doctors to override any individual’s wishes but similarly I think we do have a role in raising an eyebrow at something that runs against all other messages about good health promotion.
“We would ask them honestly and publicly to reconsider the stance they are marketing to young people.”
