
Coles will cease selling kitchen knives after a store employee was stabbed in the back in a suburban Brisbane store on January 13, 2025. Coles operates around 840 supermarkets across Australia.
“Coles has made the decision to withdraw its range of kitchen knives for sale from supermarkets across Australia. SMEG kitchen knives will still be available for redemption at our service desk, until 21 January,” a Coles spokesperson told Australian Security Magazine.
The 63-year-old employee, who remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition, was attacked by a 13-year-old ward of the state.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the state’s knife laws may need to be tightened but did not address why a young state ward was in a supermarket alone. The boy had reportedly stolen the knife.
“Coles complies with all legislation regarding the sale of kitchen knives, and this withdrawal is being taken out of an abundance of caution as we conduct a review,” the supermarket’s spokesperson added. “The safety of our team members and customers is our number one priority across all aspects of our business.”
Rival supermarket group Woolworths says it has no plans to stop selling kitchen knives. However, Woolworths temporarily stopped knife sales in 2021 after an incident in Victoria, and not all Woolworths stores now stock knives.