Coles Australia Supermarkets

Coles is a retailer which has been established in the year 1914 by George Coles and is headquartered in Hawthorn East, Melbourne, Australia. The firm operates more than 2500 department stores across Australia and also has an online store. Coles serves around 21 million customers each week. 

Coles employs over 113000 people and achieved a turnover of €23.4 billion in 2019 which can be retributed under the 3 main business areas as follows:

• Coles Supermarket chain reached a turnover of nearly €19 billion 

• The Liquor business achieved a turnover of €1.9 billion 

• Coles Express attained a turnover of € 1.2 billion

In addition to the Coles supermarket chain comprising of around 800 supermarkets, the company also manages around 700 Liquorland stores, 95 First Choice Liquor stores, 81 Vintage Cellar stores ,24 First Choice Liquor Market outlets in the Liquor business. Coles also manages 685 Cole Express stores. The firm also operates an online shopping platform. 

The retailer provides a wide assortment of goods under the following categories:

• Chilled & fresh food: fruits & vegetables, delicatessens, soups

• Frozen food: pizza, mixed vegetables, meat

• Savory grocery: oil, pasta, canned goods

• Sweet grocery: jams, cookies, chocolates

• Dairy: yoghurt, pure cream, custard

• Drinks: energy drinks, soft drinks, alcohol

• Personal care: tampons, shampoo, baby wipes

• Household: toilet paper, kitchen towel, detergents

• Bazar: batteries, stationery, cigarettes

Furthermore, the firm has its own brands which are listed below:

• Coles Smart Buy - The products that are sold under this brand are dog food, corn flakes, chicken nuggets, etc…

• Coles Finest - Under this brand, products such as fruit pies, lamb, pork, etc,.. are available.

• Coles Green Choice - Detergents are the specialty of the brand.

• Coles Organic - Its products include flour, baked beans, full cream milk, etc…

• Coles Simply Less - Under this brand line, products such as oat bars, ice cream, custard, etc,.. are sold.

• Coles Simply Gluten Free - Pancakes, biscuits, corn flakes, etc,.. are available in this brand.

• Mix Clothing - Under this line, women and children’s clothing are available.

In addition to operating in the retail market, Coles has also ventured in other sectors. Coles Financial Services offers insurance, credit cards and personal loans to Australian people. 

The firm also owns Spirit Hotels, a chain of hotels situated in various parts of the country.

The objective of the company is to be sustainable. For its own brands of products, the firm has set up a specific criteria by which suppliers must abide to. Furthermore, for its brands of meat, poultry and dairy, Cole works with Australian suppliers. There are around 1900 healthy products under the company’s various brands.

Additionally, the distribution center of Coles is situated in Perth and has facilities such as temperature controlled vehicles.

The firm is certified by RSPO, UTZ, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, RSPCA , MSC and ASC