Marks and Spencer is expected to be besieged by thousands of angry Continental European workers today who will march through London protesting at store closures and job losses.
The march, expected to include 4,000 trade unionists and hundreds of M&S staff from mainland Europe, is being led by Union Network International, an umbrella group of unions worldwide.
M&S said it respected the right to protest peacefully but did not think the demonstration would be "productive or helpful to our staff". It said most of those taking part in the protest were unlikely to be among its employees.
But the British Trades Union Congress backing the march and demonstrators are expected to include M&S staff from France, Belgium, Spain and Germany - angry at the company's plans to close 38 stores on the continent with the loss of 3,400 jobs.
But even if staff get the store closures suspended, they did not manage to change the management's decision.
The company's profit topped £1 billion sterling in 1998 but next week's annual results are expected to reveal profits of around £450 million - against £417.5 million in 2000.
"We have, for the sake of the whole business, to stem the losses in continental European stores - nearly £100 million in the last three years," the company said in a statement.