Briscoes Homeware is part of the Briscoe Group, a retail chain with 92 stores across New Zealand. The iconic retail store started out in Dunedin as the British trading company in 1862, and is now known for its homeware products and sporting goods. The Briscoes Group is also the holding company for retail stores Briscoes Homeware, Rebel Sport and Living and Giving, which are located throughout New Zealand.
Source: https://www.briscoegroup.co.nz/about-us/governance/
Woke Rating
We rate Briscoe Group as not woke. This includes Briscoes Homeware, Rebel Sport, and Living and Giving.
Woke Summary
- Virtue Signalling – minimal virtue signalling found.
- Gender Ideology & LGBTQ -lack of evidence of gender ideology & LGBTQI+ policies.
- Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) – has DEI policies and gender targets.
- Climate Change – has an environmental policies, and has targets for reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050, or sooner.
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.
There is not much evidence of woke policies from Briscoe Group…
Virtue Signalling
Briscoes had made an apology for a store employee referring to a transgender woman as a He. The apology was not specifically for the misuse of pronouns but more in alignment with company policy “good customer service is built on positive and respectful interactions with all people.”
Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/133542913/briscoes-apologises-after-trans-woman-was-misgendered
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+
“Expansion of gender identification options has enabled a number of our team to communicate that they identify as a different gender than they previously nominated.”
Briscoe Group 2023 Annual Report
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
The Briscoe Group has a Diversity & Inclusiveness Policy.
“Diversity, equity and inclusivity are areas in which we continue to invest.”
“We are particularly focused on lifting the proportion of females in senior leadership roles in retail operations.”
“People come from many cultures and backgrounds, along with a wide range of other personal attributes including gender, age, disability (mental, learning or physical), economic background, language(s) spoken, marital/partnered status, physical appearance, race, religious beliefs and gender identity or orientation.”
Briscoe Group 2023 Annual Report
Climate Change
The Briscoe Group has a Climate Risk Statement.
The Briscoe Group has an environmental pillar that is part of its sustainability strategy. On the environmental front, the Briscoes group has targets for reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050, or sooner.
“We continue to focus on our two major impact areas of our own Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) and Waste to Landfill from our own operations.”
Future Focus Areas include “Set emission reduction and waste targets supported by detailed roadmaps.”
Briscoe Group 2023 Annual Report
Positive Policies & Activities
The Briscoe Group have a partnership with First Foundation, which is an organisation that supports disadvantaged youth and their tertiary ambitions through scholarships and mentoring.
The Briscoe Group’s waste management plan includes a pilot program with Eco Central in Christchurch to reduce waste to landfill whilst supporting local social initiatives in the communities their stores operate.
Rebel Sport has made a serious commitment to supporting Cure Kids financially while also including the charity in many practical aspects of our business. Cure Kids is the face of the Child Health Research Foundation, which invests in research into serious childhood illnesses in New Zealand.
Rebel Sport gives away $160,000 through a programme called Sport Grants. This programme is designed to help deserving grassroots clubs across New Zealand provide the means for more Kiwis to get involved in and play sports.
Rebel Sport is a partner in the Tania Dalton Foundation where they run initiatives such as the Pass it Forward initiative, that is a buy a ball, give a ball initiative and have a scholarship programme to support young women in sport.
Note – This page was updated as of 20th May 2024. Please contact us if you’ve discovered other relevant information about Briscoes Group or other businesses pushing woke agendas. You should also contact us if you discover some positively woke-free businesses.