Angry shoppers are threatening to boycott Topshop after its billionaire owner is accused of sexual harassment
- Philip Green, the British billionaire behind Topshop, was named by a member of the British Parliament as the subject of sexual harassment, racial abuse, and bullying allegations this week. None of the allegations have been proven in a court of law.
- Angry shoppers are threatening to boycott stores run by his company, Arcadia Group.
- Experts say that unless these claims are proven to be false, they are likely to negatively impact his stores, which are already coming under pressure from online fast-fashion competitors.
Philip Green, the British billionaire behind fast-fashion retailer Topshop, was named by a member of the British Parliament as the subject of several sexual harassment, racial abuse, and bullying allegations earlier this week.
Green's name had been withheld from the public after he secured a court order preventing the Daily Telegraph from publishing a story about several of his employees accusing him sexual misconduct and racial abuse, the Associated Press reported.
While none of the allegations have been proven in a court of law, angry shoppers are threatening to boycott his stores. Green owns UK retail giant Arcadia Group, which runs well-known brands such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge, and Dorothy Perkins. Topshop also has stores in the United States.
Arcadia Group did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Many are tweeting with the hashtag #PinkNotGreen to show their support of a boycott.
"While many of the allegations are only claims and have not yet been legally proven, Philip Green's association with them is highly damaging for both him and the various retail businesses he owns," Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, said in a statement emailed to Business Insider.
"Unless the claims are proven, beyond all doubt, to be false then there is no coming back. Quite rightly, the stench of sexual misconduct lingers for life."
Pressure is already mounting for his brands, which are increasingly facing competition from online retailers such as ASOS, which have swooped in and taken market share.
Green is the father of socialite and reality star Chloe Green.