Message claims Holland & Barrett removed poppy display amid complaint

Messages are spreading online that claim health food chain Holland & Barrett removed a Remembrance Day poppy display from a store window following a complaint.

An image of the store display, that features a large banner containing the words “Lest We Forget” along with the silhouettes of troops, is circulating online as an image with the following caption –

I have been informed that the brilliant window display, created and put up by staff after gaining permission from senior level, paying homage and showing respect to those lives lost in wartime, will be removed, due to a single complaint, following instruction by the head office, of HOLLAND AND BARRETT. I have logged a complaint with the company but fear that nothing will be done immediately if at all. SHAME on Holland & Barrett Head Office!!

We can confirm that the store in the photo does indeed show the Holland & Barrett store located on the main shopping street in Monmouth, Wales, who showcased a Remembrance Day poppy display in their main front window.

The original post above that claimed the display was to be removed following a complaint appears to have originated from a Facebook user called David Tovey who published the photo on November 3rd 2018. Others users appear to have taken a screenshot of Tovey’s post, and it is this screenshot that has circulated prolifically on social media, especially Facebook.

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After a little digging, we see that other Facebook users from the Monmouth area confirm that the display is still present in the Holland & Barrett store window after being briefly removed. This was reflected in Tovey’s original post who appended the below message to his original post later the same day –

UPDATE: THE WINDOW DISPLAY HAS BEEN REINSTATED h&b have responded to public pressure, well done Monmouth!!

However because other users have been sharing a screenshot of Tovey’s original post – and not the post itself – this update has not been reflected.

While it does appear that the display was briefly removed from the store window, leading to the online furore, we cannot currently confirm if it was due to a complaint (as per Tovey’s original message.) We have contacted the Holland & Barrett media team and are waiting for a response (they have not responded at the time of publication.)

We will update this article upon receiving a reply.