Coles bans popular kitchen staple across dozens of Australian stores
Coles said customer safety is its top priority, this week pulling a range of Smeg knives from shelves at 26 stores around Australia.
Coles has banned a selection of popular kitchen knives from dozens of stores around the country, in what it described as part of its ongoing bid to keep "staff and shoppers safe".
The supermarket giant said customer safety is its top priority, this week pulling a range of SMEG knives from shelves at 26 stores around Australia — including in Brisbane's Queen Street CBD store and at Sydney's Bondi Junction, the site of a brutal mass stabbing attack earlier this year.
Coles said the move follows consultation from the "community and from team members", who said "they'd rather not have them" in those stores, due to a number of dangerous "incidents" that have occurred in recent times.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Coles spokeswoman Martine Alpins said while the SMEG campaign is national, "there are stores that are listed on our website that will not stock kitchen knives to ensure the safety of our team and customers".
"There are also additional stores where the knives will be kept behind a counter and not on display. Our service team members have received training on [the] sale of knives and in particular refreshed coaching on the laws in their state," Alpins told Yahoo.
"Safety remains our number one priority for our team members and customers, and all SMEG knives are packaged in sealed blister packaging which require an additional instrument such as scissors to open. The blister packs are housed in a cardboard carton with three tamper seals."
Australia moves to limit knife crime with new laws
There has been a notable rise in knife-related incidents in the country this year, especially involving young people. In NSW, for example, the state has seen increased government action due to a series of recent stabbings, leading to legislation that allows police to use handheld scanners – or electronic metal-detecting ‘wands’ – to stop and scan individuals without a warrant at designated areas.
Queensland also rolled out tough knife laws last year, including "Jack's Law" — created in response to the stabbing death of Jack Beasley in 2019 — which allows police to conduct metal detection wanding operations in Safe Night Precincts, on public transport and at public transport hubs.
The Queensland government this year banned the sale of knives to anyone under the age of 18, with strict new measures introduced in September. The laws also prevent the sale of machetes, axes, swords and gel blasters, and ban them being advertised in a way that suggests they are suitable for combat.
"What we are about is trying to keep our community safer and feel safer and we know the devastating impact that knife crime can have in our community," Queensland Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski earlier said.
After a spate of recent stabbings, is knife crime getting worse in Australia?
Bondi stabbing survivor reveals chilling two words uttered by attacker
Meanwhile, there are also some 350 Woolworths stores in Australia that no longer stock knives at all, following a brutal stabbing attack at a Melbourne check-out in 2021. In Victoria, the sale of knives is only legal to those over the age of 18.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
