Shoppers threatened to boycott John Lewis yesterday after the chain ditched ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ labels from its children’s clothing range.

It became the first major retailer to scrap ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ signs from its childrenswear departments and bring in gender-neutral labels on own-brand clothing for children up to the age of 14.

Some customers praised the move, but others accused the High Street giant of taking political correctness too far.

Bob Lister, of Poole in Dorset, wrote on Twitter: ‘Big social media backlash against John Lewis! Boycott!’ Another user, Tim H, said: ‘Equality and difference are not mutually exclusive.

John Lewis became the first major retailer to scrap ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ signs from its childrenswear departments and bring in gender-neutral labels on own-brand clothing for children up to the age of 14

'Denying gender differences is just nuts! Let’s boycott John Lewis!’ On Mumsnet, one mother said: ‘I personally want to see more traditional “boy” things in the boys’ section and “girl” things in the girls’ section.

‘Why are we so anti allowing girls to be girls and boys to be boys?’ But another said: ‘Nobody is saying girls can’t wear dresses or boys must wear dresses. Just that there’s no need to segregate T-shirts along stereotyped gender lines.’

Customers also voiced their opinions on John Lewis’s Facebook page. David Hollingworth, of Dereham, Norfolk, wrote: ‘Your bowing to politically correct nonsense over children’s clothes labelling is ridiculous. I hope people vote with their feet and shop elsewhere.’

But campaigners called on other retailers to introduce gender-free clothing too, as well as shoes, toys and greetings cards.

Victoria Lepingwell wrote: ‘How refreshing to now have the option to let children wear whatever takes their fancy rather than the old, worn out stereotypical outfit.

Some customers praised the move, but others accused the High Street giant of taking political correctness too far

Retail expert Ewan Macdonald-Russell, of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said other retailers were likely to follow suit

‘Loads of girls don’t want to wear pink princess stuff and not all boys want to wear dinosaur T-shirts.’

Marta Bevis added: ‘Clothes for children don’t need to be separated by gender.’

John Lewis’s gender-neutral labels, reading either ‘Boys & Girls’ or ‘Girls & Boys’, extend to floral dresses and skirts in a bid to avoid reinforcing gender stereotypes.

The chain, which has worked with campaign group Let Clothes Be Clothes, is also reviewing its online shopping site, which still includes boys’ and girls’ clothing options.

Retail expert Ewan Macdonald-Russell, of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said other retailers were likely to follow suit.

He said: ‘We have already seen a number of retailers make similar moves on children’s toys, and it’s likely further brands will look to move away from traditional gender-binary labelling in children’s lines in the future.

‘With customers more and more focused on the values a retailer holds, as well as price and range, it’s likely to help with sales as well as brand perception.’