The Early Learning Centre have recently introduced a policy of gender branding the packaging and the colour of their toys, producing things in two colour waves, pink (for the girls) and blue (for the boys).

I am supporting the Pink Stinks campaign group http://www.pinkstinks.co.uk/ in their boycott of the Early Learning Centre and I am posting my intial letter to the company here:

Dear Customer Services,

I have long shopped at ELC but I am writing to tell you that I am now boycotting your stores. I strongly object to your recently introduced gender branding, something which I feel is a step back and completely unnecessary. By presenting yourself as a bastion of education and play learning, you have a duty to children to present positive gender role models. This would obviously present itself as non-gender-specific branding for toys. The ELC has a very specific and easily recognisable colour palette. Toys should be packaged within the colour palette of the shop, not in the gender colour deemed 'suitable' by some unknown designer or branding advisor.

There are many shops in the UK who have a practice of gender colour branding, but none of those shops are presenting themselves as centres of excellence for play education.

I would like the ELC to rethink its branding policy. I would like a reply explaining why the ELC has recently chosen to incorporate gender branding, specifically the recent pink and blue run-out . I would like a statement from the company on it's policy of gender branding of toys and why it has decided now is the time to introduce this strange demarkation of toys.

I am supporting the campaign group Pink Stinks in their boycott of ELC and I shall be advising my many playgroup friends to do the same.

I do look forward to hearing from you, as soon as possible,

Kind regards

etc,etc.

I don't of course expect this to be the end of the conversation, I fully intend to continue correspondence with them; I expect the immediate reply will be that their market research shows the majority of their customers support gender branding and I am looking forward to receiving that letter!