Werther's Original offered by H&T pawnbrokers in Gillingham encouraging residents to sell their gold

by Dan Bloom

For a Medway debt charity, the marketing ploy was not werth its weight in gold.

They say it was irresponsible for a pawnbroker to hand out Werther's Originals with labels saying "same weight in gold, I can give you at least £50".

The classic sweets were dished out by H&T in Gillingham High Street – the same chain criticised for offering customers up to £50,000 before Christmas.

They also came through residents' doors with information about the firm, which has more than 160 shops in the UK.

Dan McDonald, chief executive of Medway Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), claimed H&T also gave out balloons.

He said: "It is clear they are trying to entice residents by these marketing methods. Residents in difficulty will give up heirlooms to raise some cash, and many will not see them again."

Medway Labour leader Cllr Vince Maple said: "This is another cynical marketing ploy by an organisation looking to exploit vulnerable people.

"My view is clear: that processes like this are on notice."

The chief executive of H&T, which also offers payday loans with annual interest rates of more than 600%, hit back.

John Nichols (pictured right) said his firm has teamed up with police chiefs to establish a charter for gold buying and guard shoppers against being ripped off.

"Pawnbrokers have been offering this service for thousands of years," he said. "It's not forcing people to do anything, it's making them aware they may have some asset sitting in the back of their drawer."

Mr Nichols said he had many happy customers and claimed the CAB's criticisms about Medway having high numbers of loan shops had been "incredibly ill-researched... without bothering to go into the shops or talk to anybody about the service they get."

Mr McDonald said: "I don't really need to see his shops to know what they do. Maybe he should visit my offices to see the impact of his business and others on my clients."

A spokesman for Storck, the German firm that owns the Werther’s Original brand, said they had no knowledge of the promotion.

He added: "Storck have very tight restrictions on the type of activities they use to promote their brands to support the company's good reputation."