A Co Wexford hardware store has apologised after a member of staff 'blacked up' in a bid to promote the store's Black Friday deals.

Smyths Homevalue, in Enniscorthy, received heavy backlash after sharing the promotional video showcasing discounts for Black Friday.

In the ad, which is captioned "Guess what we have for 'Black Friday'?', the store's owner, Dermot Kavanagh, appears in full blackface before walking around the shop showing off all the deals on offer.

In the video, which was posted on Thursday evening, he says: "You know what it is this weekend?

"We're just getting dressed up because it's Black Friday weekend and we always have deals and deals - but I've pushed to boat out on this one."

He added: "There's specials all over the shop."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVo0Tencshg&t=

The ad was met with heavy criticism online, with some viewers slamming the video as "racist", and was taken down today.

Following the backlash, the shop issued an apology saying they did not intend to cause any offence.

"We would like to sincerely apologise to anyone upset or offended by our recent video post," the statement said.

"While naive on our part, we in no way intended to impersonate or insult anyone based on their race. However, on reflection, we can see how it would be perceived that way and for that we are very sorry."