A Swiss luxury goods store denied any wrongdoing yesterday after Oprah Winfrey suggested she had encountered racism when one of its shop assistants allegedly refused to show her an expensive handbag.
The store's owner claimed the entire incident was based on a "misunderstanding" due to language difficulties and that the saleswoman had never sought to stop Miss Winfrey, whom she failed to recognise, from buying the £24,000 crocodile bag.
Miss Winfrey, one of the world's wealthiest women, claimed the assistant had told her the bag was "too expensive" and refused to show it to her when she visited a Trois Pommes boutique in Zurich last month. She said the incident demonstrated that racism was still a problem.
Switzerland's national tourism board issued a direct apology for the incident, saying the actions of the saleswoman had been "terribly wrong".
However, Trudie Goetz, owner of the Trois Pommes chain, insisted it had been simply been an innocent mix-up.
"My salesperson wanted to give her the handbag in her hand. But she didn't want to take the bag," Miss Goetz said. Full story...
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The store's owner claimed the entire incident was based on a "misunderstanding" due to language difficulties and that the saleswoman had never sought to stop Miss Winfrey, whom she failed to recognise, from buying the £24,000 crocodile bag.
Miss Winfrey, one of the world's wealthiest women, claimed the assistant had told her the bag was "too expensive" and refused to show it to her when she visited a Trois Pommes boutique in Zurich last month. She said the incident demonstrated that racism was still a problem.
Switzerland's national tourism board issued a direct apology for the incident, saying the actions of the saleswoman had been "terribly wrong".
However, Trudie Goetz, owner of the Trois Pommes chain, insisted it had been simply been an innocent mix-up.
"My salesperson wanted to give her the handbag in her hand. But she didn't want to take the bag," Miss Goetz said. Full story...
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