March
Why Ross Gittins is wrong about supermarket price gouging
Who would have thought oligopolies can sustain competition? Woolies and Coles have increased grocery prices less than British supermarkets.
Supermarket inquiry ends not with a bang but a whimper
Instead of wagging fingers at the big chains for the economic challenges, politicians must get serious about tackling some of the underlying causes of inflation.
Woolworths, Coles warn more red tape means higher grocery prices
Disputing the ACCC’s findings that they have oversized profitability, the supermarket giants say increased costs will be passed onto shoppers.
Why Aussie consumers are losing the supermarket wars
While there is no silver bullet, the ACCC has some recommendations to improve competition in the sector.
December 2024
The $180m mall Woolies liked so much it bought it
Woolworths’ big buy in Sydney’s west shows the price it’s prepared to pay as it jostles with its rivals for the best position in suburbs across the nation.
November 2024
Coles says focusing only on low prices sent customers away
Appearing at a competition inquiry, chief executive Leah Weckert says experience has shown shoppers want more than just cheap products.
Shoppers’ anger makes ‘Colesworth’ the word of the year
The language researchers who help compile Oxford University’s Australian dictionaries track the words that have gained prominence over the past 12 months.
The moment the ACCC boss put the heat on Woolies
The competition regulator is clearly sceptical about the way the supermarket giants use discounts, and whether the market is really competitive.
Inside the two weeks from hell for the country’s biggest supermarkets
This week, Woolworths chief executive Amanda Bardwell and Coles’ Leah Weckert will have a chance to tell their side of the story in hearings run by the ACCC.
Why Aldi isn’t expanding into online groceries
The discount retailer has explained how it keeps costs down for consumers, including through employing fewer staff and asking shoppers to pack their own groceries.
Fruit growers want Coles and Woolies to give them inside information
Fresh produce growers and industry groups want the supermarket giants to share more data from their checkout scanners, to improve supply chains.
October 2024
Coles, Woolworths blame price hikes on suppliers
The two supermarket chains appeared in Federal Court on Wednesday to defend the case brought against them by the competition watchdog.
Trade officials probe cheap Woolworths, Coles imported tomatoes
The investigation will assess whether Italian tinned home brand products sold in the supermarkets are being dumped at low prices to damage local growers.
Suppliers, pollies reject supermarket bid to shift blame
Both major parties have hit back at Coles and Woolworths while suppliers say shoppers are only paying a fraction of cost rises.
Blame our suppliers for high prices, not us: Coles and Woolies
Woolworths says it has been inundated with requests from multinational suppliers to increase the price of thousands of products by more than 10 per cent.
Big-box chains not like Coles and Woolies, business warns MPs
Furniture giant IKEA says its business model did not allow deceptive price setting and it treats suppliers of live plants and food market items co-operatively.
September 2024
Competition watchdog gets $30m boost for supermarket probe
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will receive a $30 million funding boost to investigate misleading and deceptive pricing practices.
Keep Bunnings and Chemist Warehouse out of supermarket wars: industry
As Labor considers tough powers for retailers abusing market share or mistreating suppliers, the food sector has warned against expansion of a key code of conduct.
Fight or fold? Coles, Woolies face the angry shoppers they ‘fooled’
With its bombshell allegations this week the ACCC has given the big supermarkets two options, neither particularly palatable. Do they fight or do they fold?
Woolworths and Coles could be ‘innocent’: Samuel
Graeme Samuel says the higher prices charged by the two major supermarkets could have been caused by suppliers, as the ACCC found the retailers have increased their earnings and operating margins over the past five years.