Leading retailers and knives suppliers met with BHETA last week for the second time to work collaboratively towards ensuring responsible knife retailing. The taskforce agreed its next moves with an agenda covering all supplier and retailer aspects of the issue including product design, packaging, merchandising and checkout procedure, staff training, consumer education and lobbying. The group also considered its response to the latest draft of the proposed new Offensive Weapons Act.
The taskforce includes John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Dunelm, Lakeland, TK Maxx, Elys of Wimbledon, Harts of Stur, Taylor’s Eye Witness, Amefa, Fiskars, Meyer Group, Haus, Burton McCall, Kuhn Rikon, The Rayware Group and Robert Welch.
The group intends to establish and industry standard ‘pull test’ to ensure a responsible collective approach to packaging in the sector and enter the lobbying arena on behalf of the industry.
Will Jones, BHETA’s chief operating officer updated the taskforce on the Association’s successful bid to secure the extension of the Challenge 25 retail initiative from alcohol sales to cover the purchase of other age restricted goods, specifically the responsible retailing of kitchen knives. This will not only include point of sale items as in the original campaign but will for the first time include supplier packaging which can now carry the Challenge 25 graphics as well, making in store enforcement easier for retail staff. A plan for implementation was agreed.
BHETA’s marketing manager Stephen Richardson also outlined the key points in the latest draft of the forthcoming Offensive Weapons Act now undergoing consultation, noting several changes compared with previous versions of the proposed legislation. BHETA will now enter the current public consultation process with the taskforce’s collective response.
For more information about BHETA, BHETA lobbying and the BHETA responsible knife retailing campaign, contact the member services team on 0121 237 1130 or visit www.bheta.co.uk.
Top: Fiskars is part of the BHETA taskforce addressing responsible knives sales.
