Costco, one of the world’s top ten retailers by sales, remains committed to their expansion plans in Australia in spite of economic concerns. The company is due to open their first site at Docklands in Melbourne next year and Sydney is slated as the next market for the American giant to enter. They remain coy about their future expansion in the country, but are not too concerned about the softening in consumer demand witnessed in Australia this year. “We still plan to have one site in... ...Read more »

Hypermarkets, which essentially combine a department store with a supermarket, have been growing in number overseas since the first store opened by French retailer Carrefour in the 1960’s, but Australia has largely been immune from the trend. Market analysts Business Monitor International have discovered that hypermarket sector growth will be beyond the rest of the grocery market in central and Eastern Europe as consumers embrace larger stores to reduce fuel and time costs. According... ...Read more »

Planet Retail has announced the world’s top 30 grocery retailers (by sales), with Wal-Mart at the top of the heap for the tenth straight year. Sales of US$395.31* billion (A$419.45 billion) last year enabled US retailer Wal-Mart to eclipse the French-based Carrefour in second place, which had approximately A$145 billion in sales. Tesco, the leading UK retailer, climbed from fourth to third thanks to sales of A$105 billion. Australia’s two market leaders, Woolworths and Coles Group, ... ...Read more »

The Supreme Court has approved Mackay Regional Council’s decision to oppose the development of a Woolworths supermarket earmarked for a site opposite Northern Beaches Shopping Centre. Councillor Di Hatfield, who handles Council’s Planning and Development portfolio, claims this decision vindicated the Council’s planning scheme. “The appeal judges in their decision have reinforced co-ordinated growth within the appropriate land zones and defence of the orderly development... ...Read more »

The mounting cost of food has led to members of the food industry seeking new approaches to deal with the issue. For some it has been hedging on financial markets, many are looking to tighten their budgets and reduce other expenses, while others are simply stockpiling to level out the price of food. Buying in bulk is becoming more prevalent as foodservice managers are trying to avoid a crisis and franchises, in particular, have benefitted from the practice. Providers of food tend to guarantee... ...Read more »

Costco’s imminent arrival to Australia is set to shake-up the retail sector but just how quickly will they expand? Costco is anticipated to open their first store in Australia in the Docklands precinct sometime in 2009. The first store is reportedly awaiting approval from the Department of Planning and Community Development but development could begin later in the year. There had been intense speculation about the entry of Costco into the Australian market before the official announcement... ...Read more »

The Australian supermarket industry, which some believe to be the most concentrated in the developed world, could soon have a third company emerge as a major player, according to Australian Discount Retail (Trading) Pty Ltd managing director, Peter Wilkinson. Mr Wilkinson, whose company manages the Go-Lo, Crazy Clark’s and The Warehouse franchises, believes the increased public criticism of Coles and Woolworths is inviting competition. “My gut sense is that the market does not like two... ...Read more »

Multinational wholesaler Costco is set to enter the Australian market by opening stores in Melbourne and Sydney within the next two years. Melbourne’s Docklands area is considered to be the most likely site of their first store although nothing has been finalised yet due to difficulties in finding sites and gaining council approval. Costco is America’s largest wholesaler and offers a one-stop shop where everything from electrical goods to bedding to groceries can be purchased.... ...Read more »

The Federal Government has announced they will be reducing restrictions on foreign supermarkets entering the Australian marketplace. The changes will provide supermarkets with five years to develop vacant commercial land as opposed to the current one-year allowance. The new legislation is designed to entice multinational companies like Wal-Mart, Costco and Tesco into Australia; with assistant treasurer Chris Bowen indicating that old legislation stifled competition in the sector. “We... ...Read more »