Retailer sorry for insults to clients

ELECTRONICS retailer Boulanger has issued an apology after shop staff left "unacceptable" comments about clients on their central database.

An investigation by the French privacy watchdog CNIL found 5,828 "irrelevant" remarks about customers from "annoying" and "has no brain" to "thinks she can get away with anything", "strong African accent", "Jewish" and "heart problem or alcoholic".

In a statement published on Saturday, Boulanger general manger Etienne Hurez said: "I was shocked by what the CNIL had found", adding that it amounted to a "serious lapse".

He apologised for what he described as the "unacceptable comments". An internal investigation has been launched to identify the authors of the comments - and Boulanger says the remarks will be removed permanently before the CNIL's three-month deadline.

Boulanger has stores across France and employs a total of 8,000 people.