KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Lotus’s Malaysia has apologised over the viral incident involving a heavily pregnant customer at its Selayang store, saying its internal investigation found the matter was not handled to the standard shoppers should expect.

The hypermarket chain also said it has taken disciplinary action against those involved, tightened its procedures and stepped up staff training to prevent a repeat of the incident.

“We have completed our investigation into the incident at our Selayang store and have concluded that the handling of the situation fell short of the standards our customers rightly expect of Lotus’s, and those we expect of ourselves,” it said in a statement on Facebook yesterday.

Lotus’s also issued a direct apology to the customer, her husband and their family, saying it had contacted them personally and hoped to rebuild their confidence.

“To the customer, his wife and family, we offer our sincere apologies for the incident that took place. No customer should ever have such an experience when shopping with us.”

The company said it had carried out disciplinary action in line with its internal policies while reinforcing guidance and training for employees.

Lotus’s also urged the public not to target its employees or their families after saying some had been subjected to online abuse and threats since the incident went viral.

“We are saddened by reports of online harassment and threats directed to our employees and their immediate families throughout this incident.”

The company said the incident had reinforced the importance of treating every customer with “empathy, dignity and respect” and pledged to continue improving its service to earn back customers’ trust.

The apology follows a viral social media post by the woman’s husband, who alleged his wife, then 38 weeks pregnant, was stopped after paying for groceries at the Selayang outlet on July 11, and accused of hiding stolen items under her clothing because of the shape of her baby bump.

He claimed staff asked his wife to reveal her stomach and produce her maternity record, or Pink Book, to prove she was pregnant before keeping the couple waiting while a supervisor was called, only for no stolen items to be found.

The incident sparked widespread debate online over how retailers should handle suspected shoplifting cases while respecting customers’ dignity and privacy.