SUPERMARKET giant Asda has responded after it was accused of showing “total disregard” for the Gaelic language by removing all signage of it from a Scottish island outlet.
The controversy came after Asda took over the Co-op at Broadford, in the southern part of the Isle of Skye and removed all bilingual signage.
While Co-op’s signage had included Gaelic, the replacement branding from Asda is English-only.
One local told The National it would be an “understatement to say that the community in Broadford are far from impressed”.
READ MORE: What happened when I tried learning Gaelic on Duolingo
“This is a rich and important part of our culture and Asda have shown they simply couldn't care less,” they added.
The grassroots Gaelic campaign group Misneachd Alba also raised concerns about the signage.
They said that there was no use of Gaelic either inside or outside the location since the Asda takeover.
The Misneachd Alba group wrote on social media: “Tha @asda @asdaprteam air stèisean connaidh An Àth Leathainn a ghabhail thairis bhon a' @coopuk o chionn ghoirid agus chan eil sgeul air #gàidhlig a-muigh no a-staigh. #gàidhealtachd #eileansgitheanach.
“[Asda] showing total disregard for #Gaelic in their recent re-branding of the #Broadford Co-op petrol station #Skye which had excellent bilingual signage.
“Would they do this in Wales with Welsh?”
An Asda spokesperson told The National that they were newly arrived in the Broadford store and so had put up standard signage.
They said Gaelic-language signage would be installed “as soon as possible”.
The Asda spokesperson said: “We moved into the Broadford store two weeks ago and to immediately reflect the change we installed our standard Asda Express signage.
“In many of our stores we carry location-specific signage to reflect the languages spoken by the community and we will be installing Gaelic signage at the Broadford store as soon as possible."
The news comes just days after the end of Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week).
The week saw the launch of a new strategy aimed at delivering authentic and memorable experiences for visitors to Scotland by celebrating Gaelic culture, heritage and language.
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