Coles will sell Australia Day merchandise, despite Woolworths making the controversial decision to pull the products from shelves this year.
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: ‘We stock a small range of Australian-themed summer items throughout January, which are popular with our customers for sporting events such as cricket and tennis, as well as the Australia Day weekend. ‘
Woolworths, which also owns Big W, shocked the country on Wednesday when it announced it would not sell Australia Day merchandise due to declining demand. Kmart made a similar announcement in 2023.
“There has been a gradual decline in demand for Australia Day merchandise from our stores over recent years,” the supermarket giant said in a statement.
“At the same time, there has been a broader discussion about January 26 and what it means for different parts of the community.”
Woolworths’ decision was met with widespread outrage, including from NSW Premier Chris Minns and millionaire businessman Dick Smith.
“We should always celebrate that day because it is the beginning of modern Australia,” Mr Smith told NewsCorp.
“I’m a patriotic Australian and I’m disappointed they made that decision.”
Woolworths, which also owns Big W, announced this week that Australia Day would be dumped from stores due to a ‘gradual decline in demand’
Mr Minns said Woolworths’ decision came as a surprise.
“By 2024, I would have thought there was sufficient customer demand for Australia Day products,” the Prime Minister said.
Prominent Indigenous leader and businessman Warren Mundine said Woolworths executives are “living in a fantasy world”.
“These companies are completely out of touch with the real Australia and yet they continue to come out and try to foist this nonsense on us to make us ashamed of who we are and what our country is.”
“We need to celebrate who we are,” Mr. Mundine stated.
Conservative social commentator Carla Efstratiou questioned why Woolworths had celebrated Diwali, an Indian holiday, but not Australia Day.
“Australia Day is being phased out by major corporations and eventually by the government,” she claimed in a recent TikTok video.
“(Woolworths) say this is because demand has steadily declined, but make no mistake, this has been fully thought out and fully planned.
“Australia Day will cease to exist in a few years.”
Ms. Efstratiou’s audience was divided over the boycott.
‘I’m going to celebrate it more and more every year! I refuse to give in to woke bull****,” one person commented.
‘Australia Day is January 26, end of story. I don’t like staying home and sleeping for the day,” wrote a second.
‘Doesn’t Australia Day celebrate genocide? Who wants to celebrate that?’ said another.
A fourth said: ‘Who is affected by this? Does anyone actually celebrate this day? I’m sure it’s a day off, but is anyone really celebrating?’
Australia’s major supermarkets are at odds over the decision to stock Australia Day items just two weeks before the national holiday
Australia Day, celebrated every year on January 26, marks the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 when the first Governor of the British colony of New South Wales, Arthur Philip, hoisted the Union Jack at Sydney Cove.
But for many First Nations people it is considered ‘Invasion Day’ or the ‘Day of Mourning’, with many campaigning to abolish the holiday entirely or change the date.
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not explicitly mentioned plans to change the date, an increasing number of municipalities and state governments are choosing to cancel traditional Australia Day activities, including citizenship ceremonies.
Director of conservative political lobby group Advance Australia Matthew Sheahan said Woolworths had shown why Australia Day should be protected by law.
“It’s time for the Prime Minister to show some leadership here and prove he’s on the side of regular Australians who are proud of this country,” he said.
“If Albo or Woolies want to abolish Australia Day, they should not do so without putting a proposal before the Australian people and letting us have our say.”