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BDS to take #boycottwoolworths campaign to Australia

Cape Town - Public benefit organistion BDS SA on Wednesday vowed to take its #boycottwoolworths campaign to David Jones in Australia to force the local retailer to stop selling goods imported from Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protests outside Woolworths headquarters in Cape Town and questions from protesters on Woolworths' trade relations with Israel dominated its Annual General Meeting.

READ: Woolworths AGM - as it happened

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions in South Africa (BDS SA) has been staging protests and called for a boycott at Woolworths stores because of what it calls the company's R12m trade relations with Israel.

Protesters bought individual Woolworths shares in order to gain access to the retailer's AGM.

BDS SA spokesperson Muhammed Desai said in a statement the group's supporters used the opportunity "to pose well-researched questions to the chairman".

"The chairman, Simon Susman, told the AGM he had responded to all queries about Woolworths's trade relationship with Israel.

"But a shareholder pointed out that she had been e-mailing queries with no response.

"We were glad some of the mistruths were exposed," he said.

Woolworths head of communications SusieSquire told Fin24 in an interview after Wednesday's AGM that David Jones is aware that Muhammed Desai, chairperson of BDS SA, could be heading over to start a similar campaign at their Australian stores.

Woolworths chairperson Simon Susman, who quipped that he has never seen so many people at an AGM before, told shareholders the food and clothes retailer's acquisition of David Jones in August was the highlight of Woolworths' year.

Woolworths [JSE:WHL] bought David Jones for $2bn in August.

Susman said Woolworths has also acquired the rest of Country Road, and "so we have 100% stake in this and David Jones".

Woolworths posted a 48% jump in sales for the first 20 weeks of its financial year on November 11, which it attributed to its David Jones buy.

Reuters reported that David Jones is Australia's second-largest apparel retailer and through its acquisition Woolworths created a southern hemisphere powerhouse with an estimated $5.6n in annual sales.

Excluding the impact of David Jones, sales for the 20 weeks to November 16 rose 11.9%, Woolworths said in its SENS announcement.

Meanwhile, reputation management expert Solly Moeng told Fin24 Woolworths is not the only company doing business with Israel and, given the value of its imports, it would not make a big dent on Israel's economy even if it were to stop importing the few products that it buys from there.

He said South Africa, led by its conspicuously quiet government, should decide on a clear policy on trading with Israel.

ALSO READ:
Woolworths AGM disrupted by protest

Israel is not using apartheid policies against Palestine

Court bans Woolworths protests





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