The Warehouse to stop selling fireworks

More than half of those surveyed by The Warehouse preferred to attend public fireworks displays...
More than half of those surveyed by The Warehouse preferred to attend public fireworks displays than have fireworks at home. Photo: ODT

Fireworks will no longer be sold at The Warehouse.

The company said the decision to discontinue the sale of fireworks was driven by customer research, which showed that more than half of those surveyed preferred to attend public fireworks displays than have fireworks at home.

Twenty-eight percent didn't participate in fireworks at all.

Chief product officer Tania Benyon said the sale of fireworks no longer held true to the company's values.

"Like any of our product ranges, we assess them and we and make changes accordingly," she said.

"Feedback from our customers shows that while many are supportive of public fireworks displays to mark special events across the year, Guy Fawkes has become less of an occasion, and there are clear concerns about people letting off fireworks at home."

ACC data recorded between 2010 and 2019 showed there were 2710 claims for injuries caused by...
ACC data recorded between 2010 and 2019 showed there were 2710 claims for injuries caused by fireworks. Photo: ODT files

The sale of fireworks has long been controversial, with animal activists some of the loudest critics.

Debra Ashton, the chief executive of SAFE, welcomed the decision.

"There is strong evidence that fireworks can cause both psychological and physical harm to animals, so reducing the public sale of fireworks should help to minimise that," Ashton said.

"The Warehouse has shown strong leadership, so let's hope that others will follow."

Criticism had also been levelled by emergency medical staff, who are required to attend to many injuries caused by fireworks every year.

ACC data recorded between 2010 and 2019 showed there were 2710 claims for injuries caused by fireworks.

That amounted to a cost of nearly $2 million to New Zealand taxpayers over the decade.

 

 

 

Comments

How about we stop fun altogether, that will make acc happy as they won't have to payout.