Superdry designer gets £96k payout in age discrimination claim
Superdry designer Rachel Sunderland won nearly £100,000 in damages for her age discrimination claim against the high-street clothing brand after she was deemed too old to quit regardless of how she was treated.
Sunderland, who is in her fifties and boasts more than 30 years’ design experience, argued that she was repeatedly overlooked for promotion by the clothing giant in favour of younger colleagues with less experience.
She joined the brand in 2015, but said was eventually forced to resign in 2020 following her lack of progression.
A Bristol employment tribunal judge found in her favour and said: “We find that the decision makers decided not to promote . . . because they judged that there was little risk of her leaving the business no matter how she was treated”.
The judge added that a similarly valuable designer “who was significantly younger than [Sunderland] probably would have been promoted” in the instances explained.
Sunderland was awarded £96,000 in compensation this week for her unfair dismissal and age discrimination claims brought against the firm.
Following the ruling, a Superdry spokesperson told City PM: “Superdry is committed to equality for all of its employees.
While the Tribunal’s judgment does not reflect our culture and values, we thank it for conducting such a thorough review, respect its decision and will review its findings.