WHS - Warehouse Group

[Sideshow Bob]

Well. It did go down the Living Wage route. And sold Disney Pride toys and actively donated to radical Trans activists In

Warehouse given Extremely Woke rating

https://wokeup.nz/2024/03/20/the-warehouse-group/

Click on retailers - https://wokeup.nz/businesses/

You could use it as an inverse ranking of most successful to least successful based on their woke ratings.

ie Briscoes & Hallensteins not woke - best in class

Warehouse extreme woke at the other end

[winner (n)]

Click on retailers - https://wokeup.nz/businesses/

You could use it as an inverse ranking of most successful to least successful based on their woke ratings.

ie Briscoes & Hallensteins not woke - best in class

Warehouse extreme woke at the other end

And Kathmandu just Woke

[LoungeLizard]

How do these companies claim to be "woke" when most of them buy/make all their products from China - one of the most anti-woke countries on the planet?

[bulltrap]

And Kathmandu just Woke

Quite so, hope the anti-woke brigade can give Kathmandu a break for only being luke-woke in a sea of woke.

Disclaimer: I'm underwater and caught in a Rip Curl.

[BlackPeter]

How do these companies claim to be "woke" when most of them buy/make all their products from China - one of the most anti-woke countries on the planet?

They don't claim to be "woke". They are just labelled as being "woke" from a righteous and rather clueless group of populists and extreme rights, who turned this positive term negative and are now weaponizing it against people and organisations they don't like.

From wikipedia:

Woke is a political slang adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) originally meaning alertness to racial prejudice and discrimination.[1] Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as racial injustice, sexism, and denial of LGBT rights. Woke has also been used as shorthand for some ideas of the American Left involving identity politics and social justice, such as white privilege and reparations for slavery in the United States

Nothing wrong with fighting for the rights of the downtrodden - and that's what being "woke" actually means.

Obviously - this does not mean that its the job of listed companies to turn this into their main focus (unless they have a business case for doing so).

[Teitei]

They don't claim to be "woke". They are just labelled as being "woke" from a righteous and rather clueless group of populists and extreme rights, who turned this positive term negative and are now weaponizing it against people and organisations they don't like.

From wikipedia:
Nothing wrong with fighting for the rights of the downtrodden - and that's what being "woke" actually means.

Obviously - this does not mean that its the job of listed companies to turn this into their main focus (unless they have a business case for doing so).

Warehouse is as woke as any public listed company can ever be. Just look at their pathetic attempt to incorporate Maori & gender-neutral signage etc into their stores and products! Seriously, WTF cares?

Go woke and go broke.  The Warehouse is one prime example.

[LoungeLizard]

They don't claim to be "woke". They are just labelled as being "woke" from a righteous and rather clueless group of populists and extreme rights, who turned this positive term negative and are now weaponizing it against people and organisations they don't like.

From wikipedia:
Nothing wrong with fighting for the rights of the downtrodden - and that's what being "woke" actually means.

Obviously - this does not mean that its the job of listed companies to turn this into their main focus (unless they have a business case for doing so).

Well, no - they don't claim to be woke as such, but they do trumpet the ingredients of being woke. Which is ok, if as you say, they are supported by a strong business case. But so many of those ingredients  are not supported or allowed in China so there's a great deal of hypocrisy in all of this imo.

[Minimoke]

They don't claim to be "woke". They are just labelled as being "woke" from a righteous and rather clueless group of populists and extreme rights, who turned this positive term negative and are now weaponizing it against people and organisations they don't like.

From wikipedia:
Nothing wrong with fighting for the rights of the downtrodden - and that's what being "woke" actually means.

Obviously - this does not mean that its the job of listed companies to turn this into their main focus (unless they have a business case for doing so).

Since when is fighting for the rights of the down trodden a business responsibility?

[BlackPeter]

Since when is fighting for the rights of the down trodden a business responsibility?

Maybe you should have read my post (particular the last paragraph) before responding ;

[BlackPeter]

Well, no - they don't claim to be woke as such, but they do trumpet the ingredients of being woke. Which is ok, if as you say, they are supported by a strong business case. But so many of those ingredients  are not supported or allowed in China so there's a great deal of hypocrisy in all of this imo.

I think the larger problem is that a number of badly managed companies prefer to do the easy thing (collecting ethical brownie points paid by shareholders) instead of focussing on their main job (earning money for their share holders).

But yes, I'd agree its unlikely to source ethically produced products in todays totalitarian China which has little or no regard to human rights ...

[BlackPeter]

Warehouse is as woke as any public listed company can ever be. Just look at their pathetic attempt to incorporate Maori & gender-neutral signage etc into their stores and products! Seriously, WTF cares?

Go woke and go broke.  The Warehouse is one prime example.

No argument that the Warehouse did over the last handful of years a terrible job in making money for their shareholders.

No argument either that some of their actions could be called by a certain group of people "woke" (like supporting minorities or paying living wage).

However - you did not provide any evidence that there is any link between these two things. From reading their reports their big money drains have been:

1) Trying to push an online business platform which didn't took off (The Market);
2) Investing and loosing millions into a business which didn't fit to the Warehouse group (Torpedo 7)
3) Halfars*d attempt to move into groceries (halfhearted attempts never work)
4) Loosing business to more capable competitors (JB Hi-Fi and KMart)

None of these money drains are in anyway related to any "Woke" activity of the company, it all just demonstrates lack of sensible business practises and bad management applied by Warehouse Board and Management.

[Teitei]

No argument that the Warehouse did over the last handful of years a terrible job in making money for their shareholders.

No argument either that some of their actions could be called by a certain group of people "woke" (like supporting minorities or paying living wage).

However - you did not provide any evidence that there is any link between these two things. From reading their reports their big money drains have been:

1) Trying to push an online business platform which didn't took off (The Market);
2) Investing and loosing millions into a business which didn't fit to the Warehouse group (Torpedo 7)
3) Halfars*d attempt to move into groceries (halfhearted attempts never work)
4) Loosing business to more capable competitors (JB Hi-Fi and KMart)

None of these money drains are in anyway related to any "Woke" activity of the company, it all just demonstrates lack of sensible business practises and bad management applied by Warehouse Board and Management.

It's the mindset - board and management who have time to think and implement woke policies and strategies, have the same screwed up mindset when it comes to overall business strategies and policies.

Seriously, WTF cares about staff attending culturally & gender aware customer interaction (part of WHS staff training) indoctrination courses and programs when said staff walk by products in a dishevelled state (common state of Warehouse stores) or plants half dead with no attempt to tidy up or clean up? 

Basics, not woke!

Woke infested minds cannot make sound decisions.

That's how the Warehouse screwed itself up.

[kiwi2007]

Investors pull cash from ESG funds as performance lags

Sustainably focused equity funds suffer net $40bn of outflows in 2024, the first sustained exodus

https://www.ft.com/?segmentId=e771b563-f0b1-4936-1685-c2330e148777&utm_us=JJIBAS&countryCode=ESP

[Minimoke]

If you are thinking of investing in The Warehouse, I reckon this page is worth reading. Because it encapsulates all that is rotten to the core in this business.

There is no evidence that shows that any of these things add to profitability, efficiency, quality or an enhanced customer experience.

Every moment they spent dreaming this stuff is moments they werent thinking about their core business. Every moment they now spend keeping this thing alive are moments they can't spend on righting the ship.

This is the stuff of lazy boards and lazy management. Its so easy to slap this kind of stuff up. You dont have to think. It makes you look busy. It makes you look virtuous.

Its total bollocks. And for this reason alone TWG should be given the long barge pole treatment.

https://www.thewarehousegroup.co.nz/corporate-citizenship/diversity-inclusion

[Teitei]

If you are thinking of investing in The Warehouse, I reckon this page is worth reading. Because it encapsulates all that is rotten to the core in this business.

There is no evidence that shows that any of these things add to profitability, efficiency, quality or an enhanced customer experience.

Every moment they spent dreaming this stuff is moments they werent thinking about their core business. Every moment they now spend keeping this thing alive are moments they can't spend on righting the ship.

This is the stuff of lazy boards and lazy management. Its so easy to slap this kind of stuff up. You dont have to think. It makes you look busy. It makes you look virtuous.

Its total bollocks. And for this reason alone TWG should be given the long barge pole treatment.

https://www.thewarehousegroup.co.nz/corporate-citizenship/diversity-inclusion

WHS's resources & profit sapping woke policies are driven by its principal shareholder whose motivations in life now are totally different from that of minority shareholders.

He has made his fortune and it's now about personal legacy which unfortunately means he is more concerned about the woke things (like incorporating cultural BS into WHS culture) which earns the WHS (and him) kudos in the woke world but screws up the business.

WHS group is uninvestible indeed until his influence and shareholding are gone.