Australia’s biggest sleepwear retailer has apologised after an Indigenous man claimed he was accused of stealing because of his race.

Sydneysider Julius Widders took to social media this week to recall his experience at an unnamed Peter Alexander store last weekend.

He had been browsing in the store with his wife, Rose, and three young family friends.

Mr Widders claimed that when they went to the counter to pay for their purchases, a staff member returned with a security guard ‘as if we were there to steal’.

‘Once they noticed we were simply there to pay, the girls said, ”they’re all good now”,’ he wrote.

After paying for their purchases, Mr Widders confronted the security guard about what had happened. The guard repeatedly told him, ‘please don’t go there’.

‘This is a brand that makes money out of Indigenous designs on their pyjamas,’ he wrote.

‘We got back in the car, and my wife couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Sleepwear giant Peter Alexander said that the company has apologised to Julius Widders and his wife Rose

Peter Alexander has launched an investigation into the alleged racism (stock image)

‘She told over and over how embarrassing it was and I told her, don’t worry about it, I’m used to it.

‘My wife’s family also could not believe this situation and how unfazed I was by it.’

What hurt Mr Widders the most was the alleged racism.

‘I finally realised for myself how bad it is,’ he said.

‘No one should be judged or profiled solely on their appearance.

‘You never know someone’s story, and you never know how many times they’ve had to experience the same thing.

‘The moral of the story: don’t judge a book by its cover.

‘This is a brand that makes money out of Indigenous designs on their pyjamas,’ Julius wrote

Peter Alexander insists it is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone at its stores

‘Treat everyone with dignity, respect and fairness.’

The post attracted almost 15,000 reactions and hundreds of comments.

A company spokesman told the Daily Mail it has been in contact with Ms Widders regarding the couple’s in-store experience.

‘We’ve been in direct contact with Rose and appreciate her willingness to work with us to understand more,’ he said.

‘We are disappointed to hear that she and her husband didn’t feel welcome in our store.

‘We’re committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

‘We take the concerns raised seriously and we’re investigating this situation to understand what happened on the day, including speaking with our store team and centre security.

‘We recognise the significant impact this experience has had on her, her husband and those who were with them, and we sincerely apologise for this.

‘We will continue to work with Rose as we investigate.’

The Daily Mail has also contacted Mr Widders for comment.

Peter Alexander founded the business from his mother’s dining room table in the 1980s.

He initially sold directly to department stores, but when one cancelled an order for 2,000 pairs of pyjamas in 1990, Alexander took out a mail-order ad in Cleo magazine, which attracted 6,000 orders.

It remained a catalogue and online business until 2000, when Alexander joined Australian retailer Just Group. Four years later, he opened his first stand-alone store in Melbourne.

Peter Alexander now operates in more than 130 locations across Australia and New Zealand.

Last year, Premier Investments separated Peter Alexander from the rest of the Just Group during an internal corporate restructure.