British retailer removes gender-specific toys after Internet protests

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NEWCASTLE, England, May 7 (UPI) -- A British retail chain says it has removed gender-specific displays of "boys" and "girls" toys from its stores after a protest broke out on Facebook.

Sean Gray, a customer at a Newcastle store of the Boots drug store chain who noticed two shelf units of toys separately labeled "Boys' toys" and "Girls' toys," snapped a picture and posted it on his Facebook page and also on official Boots webpages, ZDNet reported Tuesday.

Comments complaining about the gender stereotypes were soon appearing on the various pages and on Twitter, finally eliciting a response from Boots after two days.

"Thank you to all our customers who have taken the time to share their thoughts with us on the signs we use in the toys and games area of our stores," the company said on its Facebook page.

"It was never our intention to stereotype certain toys. It's clear we have got this signage wrong, and we're taking immediate steps to remove it from store. Customer feedback is really important to us so thanks once again for your ongoing passion and support."