Updated 2:55pm Woolworths has no plans to expand the Thomas Dux brand to Adelaide just yet, despite newspaper reports indicating a national rollout was not too far away. The upmarket grocery subsidiary of Australia’s largest supermarket chain was launched in Sydney last year. It expanded beyond Australia’s most populous city for the first time via the purchase of Macro Wholefoods earlier this year – which will see their Sydney network of three doubled and the introduction of five... ...Read more »

Strong demand for national brands has ensured a change of heart at Woolworths’ Thomas Dux upmarket grocery stores, according to a report in The Age. The burgeoning grocer is set to double the number of branded goods it currently sells to appease customers complaints that there were too few on offer. General Manager of Thomas Dux, Pat McEntee, said they would increase the number of branded products from 15 per cent to 30 per cent of the 3000 lines their average store sells. The rest of the products... ...Read more »

Australia’s competition watchdog has today advised that it will not oppose the acquisition of organic supermarket operator Macro Wholefoods by Australia’s largest supermarket operator, Woolworths. Woolworths announced the proposed takeover of Macro last month and plans to turn all Macro stores into outlets of their upmarket grocery subsidiary – Thomas Dux*. They will also acquire ownership of the Macro Organic private label brand. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission... ...Read more »

Metcash is keen to see the ACCC block the acquisition of Macro Wholefoods by Woolworths, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review. Woolworths, Australia’s largest supermarket chain, announced a fortnight ago that they had reached an agreement with organic food retailer Macro to purchase the company’s stores and organic private label brand. The deal will see all Macro stores re-badged as ‘Thomas Dux’ – the upmarket grocery chain owned by Woolworths. Interested... ...Read more »

Woolworths is looking for a swift expansion of their Thomas Dux upmarket grocery chain with Wednesday’s purchase of Macro Wholefoods but will the competition regulator block it? A deal was struck by Woolworths with Macro this week which will see the supermarket chain’s Thomas Dux subsidiary takeover eight stores, one development site and Macro’s organic private label brand. The price of the acquisition was not revealed by Woolworths but that hasn’t stopped speculation from... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest supermarket chain will continue the rollout of their upmarket Thomas Dux Grocer outlets, after announcing the purchase of up to nine store leases from Macro Wholefoods in NSW and Victoria. The deal also includes the purchase of Macro’s organic private label brand. Woolworths launched Thomas Dux, an upmarket grocery store, in April last year and currently operates two stores in Sydney -  Paddington and Lane Cove. The arrangement* will see the eight existing Macro stores... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest supermarket operator, Woolworths, has informed shareholders that their growth outlook remains on track, with plans to strengthen their market position in coming years. The nature of their business would partially “shield” them from the impact of any downturn, with investments unlikely to dry up because of economic conditions. Speaking at their AGM today, Woolworths Chairman James Strong outlined his belief that there was “continuing potential” to... ...Read more »

Woolworths are rumoured to be considering an entry into the Indian marketplace, according to a report by Fairfax newspapers. Citi analyst Craig Woolford advised Fairfax that India had always been considered by Woolworths as a possible market for expansion, but the New Zealand market had proven to be more suitable. With increased ACCC focus on the concentrated grocery sector in Australia coupled with the lacklustre demand in New Zealand their focus may, however, shift to India. Australia’s... ...Read more »

Thomas Dux, Woolworths latest attempt to increase their share of the grocery industry, is destined to fail, according to past history cited by Tim Morris, from New Zealand-based Coriolis Research. “I don’t think Thomas Dux will work for them. The middle market retailers that have tried to go upmarket didn’t succeed,” he told the Leading Edge Future Retail Conference this week. Mr Morris cited the attempt by US-based Safeway to extend to upmarket retail in the 1980′s... ...Read more »