Today
‘It will affect everything’: This was the week the war hit home
The war is no longer distant. From farms to supermarkets, the shock is spreading through the economy, and Australia could be pushed towards recession if it drags on.
This Month
Hip pocket pain comes for shoppers – and for supermarket giants
Woolworths and Coles had hoped a year under fire – amid accusations of price gouging – would give way to easier times. A wave of price increases won’t help.
The Ozempic-era supermarket aisle is a very different place
From Coles and Woolworths to fast food chains, a phalanx of thinner and healthier customers is forcing a rethink of what products are going to sell.
February
Coles says it is holding off resurgent Woolworths as sales disappoint
The supermarket’s chief executive, Leah Weckert, said the company and its larger rival were taking share off other grocery players amid intense competition.
Woolworths’ AI assistant goes rogue, starts talking about its mother
Olive has been around for years, but has recently become more sophisticated after the supermarket partnered with Google. Shoppers are noticing some oddities.
The RBA is on inflation alert. It should watch Woolies shoppers, too
All customers are now hunting value at the supermarket. Are price rise expectations moving higher, or is it the reaction to a rate rise the central bank needs?
Woolworths buoyed as supermarket sales begin to accelerate
But the grocery retailing giant missed overall expectations as its other businesses lagged. The company has been chasing major rival Coles for months.
ACCC argues Coles’ ‘Down Down’ actually meant ‘up, down, prices are up’
The competition regulator claims the retailer employed sophisticated tactics to make shoppers believe they were getting a discount when they were paying more.
Does Coles care about value, or is it just pretending?
The supermarket giant is facing off against the competition regulator in a blockbuster court stoush examining the difference between value and perception.
ACCC alleges Coles threatened pet food brand over discount terms
The regulator alleges that the supermarket pressured one business to opt for its “Down Down” promotion so it could explicitly say shoppers were paying less.
Watchdog targets Temu and Shein in $18b retail crackdown
Chinese e-commerce giants face scrutiny over product safety as they secure a 36 per cent market share alongside Amazon, threatening local retail standards.
Coles cops to two pricing mistakes in two days amid discounts stoush
A former manager at the supermarket giant said it was an “error” and confusing that a product advertised on sale was actually more expensive than it had been.
Coles defends discounts, saying they were a good deal at the time
The country’s second-largest supermarket retailer said the ACCC’s arguments were “too complex to credibly attribute to an ordinary, reasonable consumer”.
Coles set to face the music over ‘misleading’ discounts
There is plenty at stake for the supermarket giant and the competition regulator as a dispute over hundreds of allegedly fake promotions finally has its day.
Former Woolworths executive to become CEO of US retailer Kroger
Greg Foran, the former chief executive of Air New Zealand, would be the first chief executive of Kroger to be appointed from outside the company.
Metcash allegedly walked finance executive out over bonus stoush
The grocery and alcohol wholesaler is defending two workplace claims brought against it and its chief financial officer by former senior finance executives.
January
Amazon to challenge Woolworths, Coles with Harris Farm fresh food deal
The online retailing giant will begin same-day delivery of fruit and vegetables for the first time across Sydney as it competes with local supermarket chains.
Harris Farm sales near $1b as premium grocery chain narrows losses
Filings show the country’s largest upmarket supermarket reported an $11 million loss in the past financial year as it expanded it network of stores.
Woolworths, Coles could face price gouging lawsuit within 12 months
ACCC chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the regulator was unlikely to settle a separate misleading conduct claim against the supermarket giants before court.
Costco sales near $13b, parent company rakes in $300m dividend
The US giant’s Australian business netted a profit of $389.1 million in the year to August.
