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Wegmans faces boycott for selling Trump wines – Metro US

Wegmans faces boycott for selling Trump wines

Wegmans faces boycott for selling Trump wines
Flickr / Tom Simpson

East Coast grocer Wegmans Food Markets is the latest retailer facing mounting political pressure for selling products tied to President Donald Trump.

The Rochester, New York-based supermarket chain is being called on to remove Trump Winery products from its Virginia stores, where the president’s namesake winery is located.

Stop Trump Wine,a group urging Virginians to boycott restaurants, retailers and other stores that serve the president’s brand run by his second son, is leading the charge.

RELATED: Another retailer is dropping Ivanka Trump’s brand

“Events during Donald Trump’s campaign made it clear that Eric Trump … shares the views of his father,” Stop Trump Wine said on its website. “Let’s demonstrate through economic action that the residents and businesses of Charlottesville will not stand for the hatred espoused by Eric Trump and those like him.”

Wegmans operates 92 stores in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvaniaand Virginia.

It told the Democrat & Chronicle that products are only removed from stores for poor performance.

“Our role as a retailer is to offer choice to our customers,” Wegmans spokeswomanJo Natale told the news outlet in an email.

As of Wednesday, Wegmansoffers five wines from the Trump winery, according to its website.

Trump purchased the winery in 2011, but later gave it to Eric, and is currently held by Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which, according to the winery’s website, “is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump organization or any of their affiliates.”

RELATED: Trump aide says endorsement of Ivanka’s brand was ‘light-hearted’

Still, several retailers have distanced themselves from the president and his family.

Burlington Coat Factory became the latest to yank Trump-associated brands from its inventory. On Friday, its website did not display any stock of first daughter Ivanka Trump’s namesake clothing and shoe line; earlier that week it had 13 items for sale from her brand, #GrabYourWallet found.

According to the activist group, 10 other retailers, including Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus,have dropped Trump brands, which also includes the president’s Trump Home line.