In the food and grocery game, Christmas always comes early. As Australians stuck in delta-fuelled lockdowns wait desperately for targets in the nation’s reopening plan to be achieved, supermarket bosses such as Matt Swindells are already immersed in plans for the festive rush.

The Coles chief operating officer has a lot riding on what life looks like after early December – the time when Australia is expected to exceed 80 per cent fully vaccinated for those 16 and over and emerge from our national isolation.