Conor McGregor continues to feel the commercial impact of Friday's High Court ruling against him.
Last Friday, a High Court jury found the former MMA fighter liable for assault in a sexual assault case brought against him by Nikita Hand. The jury ordered him to pay nearly €250,000 to Ms Hand.
Today, a number of Irish retailers announced they will stop stocking the alcohol brands that McGregor founded and promoted.
The operators of at least ten retailers including Spar, Eurospar, Tesco, Londis, Costcutter and Carryout confirmed today they would no longer stock either the Proper No. 12 whiskey or Forged Irish Stout beer.
A spokesperson for the Barry Group, who operate Costcutter and Carryout, told the Irish Times:
This action reflects our commitment to maintaining a retail environment that resonates with the values of our customers and partners.”
McGregor helped launch Proper No. 12 in 2018, and it was acquired by Proximo Spirits in 2021 for a reported $600m, though McGregor had continued to promote the spirit after the company was sold.
However today Proximo confirmed it will no longer use McGregor to promote the drink.
In a statement it said:
Since 2021, Proximo Spirits has been the 100pc owner of Proper No 12 Irish Whiskey. Going forward, we do not plan to use Mr McGregor’s name and likeness in the marketing of the brand.”
The move from Irish retailers comes just days after calls were made from the Rape Crisis Network Ireland to boycott McGregor's products.
Executive director Cliodhna Saidléar told media on Sunday:
The companies making money from his alcohol and other products need to look at whether they want to align themselves with a man found by a civil jury to have sexually assaulted a woman.
Yesterday, Danish video game developers IO Interactive announced it would be ending its collaboration with McGregor, who features as a character in their 2024 game Hitman 3.
It said in a statement:
We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr. McGregor from our storefronts starting today.
