Sainsbury's Welcome Back Poppy Collectors

Phone booth removed to allow stall to return to front entrance

Rupa Huq MP and Mary Macleod with cadets at the stall last year

The Poppy Appeal stall controversially removed from the front entrance of Sainsbury's is back in place this Monday (5 November).

Volunteers arriving to help with the collection in the morning noticed that the phone booth which had been positioned in the entrance by Essex Place had disappeared.

Not wishing to be presumptious, they took up a position at the back of the store but then were approached by a senior member of Sainsbury's staff who said they would be very welcome to resume collecting at the front of the store in the location they have used for the last decade.

Sainsbury's had originally said that the phone booth and the work in progress converting the cafe into an Argos collection point had meant that it was impossible for a stall to be placed at the traditional point and that the footfall at the entrance by the car park was higher.

However, the collectors knew where the best spots were from year's of experience and takings fell sharply this year as a result of the move but initially the supermarket chain were unwilling to change their mind.

The organiser of the local Poppy Appeal and chairman of Chiswick Royal British Legion Jim Adams said, "We are absolutely delighted to be back. A big thank you to Sainsbury's for making this happen. It will make a huge difference to takings this year. We had tremendous support from across the Chiswick community and we are grateful to the media, particularly ChiswickW4.com, for highlighting the issue."

The photo booth now departed from the entrance of Sainsbury's

November 5, 2018