Kiss of death? "Prince of Wales helps to enhance Wal-Mart's image"

[emad]

Prince of Wales helps to enhance Wal-Mart's image
By Sarah Butler and Andrew Pierce



THE world’s biggest retail corporation, which is under fire from environmentalists, trade unions and community leaders, has enlisted an unlikely champion to try to improve its image.
Lee Scott, the chief executive of Wal-Mart, which owns Asda, the second-biggest retailer in Britain, had a two-hour meeting with the Prince of Wales at Clarence House.

Mr Scott is desperate to transform the image of the monolithic retail organisation, which has a history of building huge superstores on the edge of towns on greenfield sites and squashing competition with an aggressive pricing policy. He turned to the Prince, a champion of green causes whose own lavish lifestyle often comes in for criticism, for advice on how to make his company more environmentally friendly and to give it more consumer appeal.

Only one week after the meeting with the Prince, a Californian court awarded £115 million to thousands of Wal-Mart employees who alleged that they were illegally and systematically denied lunchbreaks. The company has been fighting allegations for years, in and out of court, that it cuts corners to keep labour costs low.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,171-2006630,00.html

[texastoast]

1. Oh, that should help

Mr. I-Screwed-Around-On-The-World's-Favorite-Princess.

:eyes:

[Zambero]

2. Cheerio! Attention Wal-Maht wuh-kuhs

This is Bonnie Prince Chahles speaking. Huh majesty has decreed that hencefohth you shall wuhk through yoh reguluhly sheduled tea break. Laggahds will NOT be tolerated. Let's see arses and elbows now!