Hallmark issued a recall and an apology this week after a customer complained about holiday wrapping paper they felt resembled swastikas.

Cheryl Shapiro spotted the design at a Walgreens in Northridge, California on Monday, and complained to the store's management. Hallmark's response came two days later.

Shapiro said the blue and silver wrapping paper was featured in a Hanukkah display, and had small swastikas encircling the roll. Her complaint initially led to an apology from the Walgreens manager, and the drug store chain has pulled the item from its stores.

Hallmark denied that the wrapping paper was Hanukkah-themed, but apologised for unintentionally causing offense.

"We apologise for the oversight and apologise to anyone who was offended," Hallmark spokeswoman Julie Elliot said. "That obviously was not our intent.

"It was an oversight on our part to not notice the intersecting lines that could be seen as a swastika pattern."

The bent and intersecting lines that form the swastika symbol were used for centuries by ancient cultures as a sign of prosperity and good fortune. Elliot explained that the interlocking pattern on the wrapping paper in question was based off a Chinese vase. The swastika symbol is now most associated with the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, and is banned in some countries.

Other brands have been criticised for using the swastika in their designs, including international clothing giant Zara.

In 2007, Zara apologised and issued a recall of a handbag that featured four swastikas, claiming that they were unaware of the manufacturing error.

More recently, the company came under attack for making pyjamas that resemble the uniforms worn by Nazi concentration camp prisoners. The blue-and-white striped shirt had a gold star prominently displayed on the chest, although the word "sheriff" appears faintly across the badge.

Zara said the shirt was inspired by western films, and issued an apology. The unsold shirts were destroyed.