Statement from the Food Lover’s Market Group

We are aware of a Daily Voice article circulating online detailing an incident between a Food Lover’s Market store manager and team member. We can confirm that there was an incident on Monday – 10 May 2021, but for the sake of transparency, we would like to correct the factual details in the article.

The team member in question was warned not to use her mobile phone while at work. When the store manager caught her using her mobile phone yet again, he correctly reprimanded her but, acting out of anger, damaged the cellphone. She then immediately walked out of the store.

The team member was not fired as alleged in the article. She did not report to work for three days after the incident and on the third day, was called and asked to come in to resolve the issue. She returned to work on Friday – 14 May 2021, when she received an apology for how the incident was handled and an undertaking that she would receive a mobile phone of identical quality.

To further reduce the tensions in the store, the team member has been given an opportunity to relocate to another store to eliminate any further source of friction. She has happily accepted and will resume her duties at a new store tomorrow.

The manager has been placed on special leave, pending the finalisation of our investigation. We are confident that we will resolve this matter to everyone’s satisfaction.