Company Overview
The Country Road Group is a clothing retailer with operations in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is a subsidiary of Woolworths South Africa. Its brands include Country Road, Mimco, Trenery, Politix, and Witchery.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Road_Group
Woke Rating
We rate Country Road as woke
Woke Summary
- Virtue Signalling – lots of virtue signalling found.
- Gender Ideology & LGBTQ – Country Road has a history of supporting LGBTQ+ Pride events and initiatives. Country Road has often featured rainbow-themed merchandise and campaigns.
- Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) – Through its parent company, Country Road has DEI and ESG policies. Applies gender-based recruitment targets and race-based recruitment initiatives.
- Climate Change – Country Road has emissions reduction targets and ESG policies. It supports the Paris Agreement and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Woke Policies
Wokeness and virtue signalling distracts a company from its core business, which is to make a profit for shareholders while delivering excellent, affordable products and services to its customers. Businesses should not be distracted from this core purpose, otherwise there will be unnecessary costs which are ultimately passed onto consumers. Woke ideologies are typically unfriendly towards the traditional family unit.
Below are some woke policies and initiatives from Country Road.
Source documents include:
https://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Integrated_Annual_Report_2024.pdf
https://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Governance_Report_2024.pdf
https://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-Good-Business-Journey-Report.pdf
Virtue Signalling
There is lots of examples of cultural virtue signalling, including the following:
“Country Road celebrates the lands and waters that give us life; into which the songlines, stories, songs, ancestors and dreamings of First Nations peoples are woven. May we pay respect to all First Nations people, past and present, for their generosity and custodianship of Country. We demonstrate our respect for First Nations peoples through our commitments to environmentally sustainable business practices and to working collaboratively and ethically to increase First Nations inclusion in our business and the Australian fashion and lifestyle industry.”
Source: https://www.countryroad.co.nz/stories/style-sustainability-and-storytelling-with-designer-simone-arnol.html
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+
Country Road has a history of supporting LGBTQ+ Pride events and initiatives, including Pride Month. Country Road has often featured rainbow-themed merchandise and campaigns.
“Our first targeted ERG ( employee resource groups) for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies has commenced, enabling a more focused agenda and deliverables for this community and the business. The dedicated steering committee is in its final stages of developing a charter. This charter will help us educate, celebrate, create community, and advocate for LGBTQIA+ team members and beyond.”
Source: https://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-Good-Business-Journey-Report.pdf
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Through its parent company, Country Road has DEI and ESG policies. Applies gender-based recruitment targets and race-based recruitment initiatives.
“The Board remains committed to enhancing diversity, with a particular focus on increasing black and female representation on the Board.”
Source: https://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Integrated_Annual_Report_2024.pdf
“We conducted a culture diagnostic of Country Road Group, and the outcomes informed our DEI strategy. The leadership structure endorsed several critical action plans for future development. We are implementing the strategy using a layered approach over time to ensure a sustainable culture
shift and develop the maturity level of our DEI.”
Source: https://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024-Good-Business-Journey-Report.pdf
Climate Change
Country Road has emissions reduction targets and ESG policies. It supports the Paris Agreement and UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We”re working to reduce our carbon impact and achieve net zero carbon emissions for scope 1 & 2 by 2040 and we’re committed to sourcing 100% of our energy from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, approximately 70% of CRG energy is now derived from Greenpower or equivalent, including our investment in renewable energy at our ‘5 Start Green Star’ rated Omni Fulfillment Centre.”
Source: https://www.countryroadgroup.com.au/sustainability/our-commitment
“In 2022, we launched the Climate Fund to drive climate solutions in the fashion industry. We’ve committed to $1.5 million in grant funding in its first three years.
We recognise that the fashion industry is a direct and indirect contributor to the climate crisis. While there are many existing and innovative climate fashion solutions, many of these solutions lack the finance to be developed or deployed across the fashion industry. The aim of the Country Road Climate Fund is to bridge this financing gap by investing in, incubating and accelerating climate solutions in the Australian fashion industry.
Launched in October 2022 Country Road is investing $1.5 million in grant funding to projects aligned to the Country Road Climate Fund’s objectives in its first three years, with up to $500,000 allocated each year. The number and size of the grants will be subject to Country Road’s discretion and will be reviewed on an annual basis.”
Source: https://www.countryroad.co.nz/climatefund/
Positive Policies & Activities
Red Cross: Since the program’s launch in Australia and New Zealand, Red Cross has received over 329,000 pre-loved Country Road items from brand and customer donations, raising an estimated $1,143,000 through sales at Red Cross Shops.
Note – This page was updated as of 31st March 2025. Please contact us if you’ve discovered other relevant information about Country Road or other businesses pushing woke agendas. You should also contact us if you discover some positively woke-free businesses.