H&M Group suspends staff for use of racial slur

H&M Group has said it is “deeply sorry” and has suspended employees from its & Other Stories brand after a racial slur was used in an internal product overview.

CEO Helena Helmresson said the company has launched an internal and external investigation and has suspended the team and managers responsible for the area of the business where the incident occurred.

The slur was used last month to refer to a hat in an internal product overview system, according to CNN business.

“This is totally unacceptable and should never have happened. It is a serious breach of our policies and goes against everything we stand for. We take the use of racially offensive language extremely seriously,” Helmresson said.

The company also set out a number of commitments to its diversity strategy and said it is “strengthening the internal controls we have on the images, texts and products we use”.

The group said it would “immediately” create an external Advisory Council formed of business executives from diverse backgrounds to advise and contribute to its business direction.

Photo credit: H&M media gallery