'We boobed' admits M&S as it axes bigger bra charge

Beckie Williams, 26, set up Busts 4 Justice to lobby the retailer to drop the £2 extra that bras above a DD-cup cost.

But on Tuesday, the Standard revealed it had seen a leaked internal email which showed M&S had no intention of dropping the surcharge, saying it could not afford to cut the cost because of the recession.

More than 13,500 people joined Miss Williams's campaign group on Facebook, with some threatening to boycott the store until it revised its pricing.

Today M&S backed down, saying "we boobed". Miss Williams, 26, met chairman Sir Stuart Rose today, who revealed the company's response of cutting the charge has cost £3million.

"I told him we're ecstatic about the decision," said the writer from Brighton, who has a bra size of 30F. She added: "Thanks to the Standard, our campaign was back in the spotlight and we've won our fight.

"When I found out they were scrapping the charge, I was so happy I screamed. I have felt for the last nine months that I have been banging my head against a brick wall and that Marks & Spencer haven't been taking us seriously."

Sir Stuart is understood to have ordered the change of policy personally after seeing the disastrous publicity for his chain. Becky Mount, the 19-year-old co-founder of Busts 4 Justice, said they are now considering taking the fight to Ultimo, Michelle Mone's lingerie range, which charges up to £4 more for larger cup sizes.

The Standard first revealed last July that the M&S extra charge on bigger bras had sparked a furious reaction from amply-endowed women, who dubbed it a "tit tax".

Miss Williams was so infuriated by the company's failure to listen to her complaints she bought a share in the company to confront Sir Stuart at the next annual meeting in July.

An M&S spokesman said: "We've heard what our customers are telling us that they are unhappy with the pricing on our DD-plus bras and that basically we've boobed.

"So from Saturday no matter what size you buy, the price is going to be the same. We're not going to cut the quality though - they'll still be made to the same high standards so you get the best support on the high street."

From tomorrow, the chain is also offering 25 per cent off the price of any bra in any size. The promotion will last until 25 May.

M&S initially said the extra charge was to cover the work involved in making larger bras and that customers had said they were "happy to pay a small premium" to cover the specialist work needed to ensure a suitable level of support.