Sainsbury in plagiarism row

A furniture designer is hoping for an out-of-court settlement after accusing Sainsbury’s Homebase of plagiarising one of his designs. Steve Armitage, director of Rhode Design in London, alleges that the store sold a cabinet largely based on a bookcase he submitted.

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury says the company is not admitting plagiarism, but adds: “We are very concerned. We have been in talks with Mr Armitage’s solicitors and have withdrawn the product. We have also started an internal investigation into the claims.”

Armitage, who bought a cabinet to compare to his prototype, says: “We are trying for an out-of-court settlement for loss of profits.”