The woman who fought The Warehouse tells her story

AWA PRESS MEDIA RELEASE
Embargoed until Saturday, June 17, 2006

The woman who fought The Warehouse and changed her name to Stephen Tindall tells her gripping story

The Warehouse is New Zealand’s largest retailer, with 127 stores and sales revenue of over $2 billion a year. But the facts are disturbing.

The Warehouse claims to support Kiwi-made, yet over 80 percent of its products are imported.

Its slogan is “where everyone gets a bargain” but its “bargains” may come at tremendous cost to local retailers, manufacturers, workers, communities and ultimately the New Zealand economy.

I See Red tells the story of what happens when small-town manufacturers, Judith and Nelson Bell, who, having built up a successful business, agree to supply The Warehouse with large volumes of their product – and end up losing almost everything when, out of the blue, The Warehouse cancels its order.

Judith’s Bell’s slogan: Don’t get mad, get even. She takes The Warehouse to court, founds a campaign to support New Zealand manufacturers, changes her name to Stephen Tindall to draw attention to The Warehouse’s business practices, and wins support from thousands of people all over the country for her views, her courage and her fight for justice.

But I See Red is about more than just one woman’s battle. It is about the future of New Zealand:

- Do we want an economy swamped with cheap, low-quality foreign imports and dominated by big-box retailers?

- Shouldn’t local communities have more say over whether a Warehouse sets up in their town?

- What will happen to New Zealand as more and more jobs are sent offshore?

- Why is the government attempting to negotiate a free-trade agreement with China when conditions for workers there are among the worst in the world?

- What are our values as a nation?

ENDS

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