Dan Murphy's, BWS, and more to remove Russian-made products from shelves
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As the world continues to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Australian consumers and politicians are considering a country-wide boycott of Russian-made liquor, particularly their vodka.
In response to a plea from Australia’s ethnic Ukrainian community, major liquor retailers Dan Murphy’s, BWS and Cellarmasters, as well as alcohol delivery service Jimmy Brings, and hundreds of pubs under the ALH banner will be removing products of Russian origin from their shelves and online stores.
The Russian products will be removed in the "coming days". Credit: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled.
Endeavour Group owns two of Australia's largest liquor retailers: Dan Murphy’s and BWS, with more than 1,500 stores all over the country. The company is also running a number of drinks and hospitality businesses, such as Cellarmasters and ALH Hotels, and is the group behind the popular alcohol delivery service Jimmy Brings.
The move to boycott sees thousands of retailers across the country remove Russian-made and branded liquor, including world-famous vodka, from their shelves.
“Endeavour Group is deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine and we join the calls for peace,” said a spokesperson from the company.
“Following feedback from a variety of stakeholders, we have decided to remove products of Russian origin from our stores, hotels and online businesses in the coming days.”
However, the spokesman was unable to provide a timeline for how long the suspension might last.
The move to boycott came after pressure from Ukrainian Australians. Credit: NCA NewsWire / Steven Saphore.
In an attempt to cripple Russia’s economy by boycotting their products, Stefan Romaniw, the federation’s chairman, is hoping all Australian companies would join hands to “bring down Putin”.
“We all understand the importance of business and economics, but in Australia, people are drinking Russian vodka and consuming Russian products,” said Mr Romaniw.
“We know [a ban] is hardcore, but this is a war and the message has to get through that all trade with Russia has to be stopped.”
It was reported that AFUO also wrote to supermarket giant Coles, which owns liquor store chains Liquorland and Vintage Cellars, requesting them to take part in the boycott as well. However, no response from the company has been received yet.
While vodka may be the most culturally prominent Russian import here in the country, there are actually bigger contributors to the trade economy between Australia and Russia, imports such as fertilisers, crude petroleum and wood manufacturing products.