Latest news with #ColesWoolworths
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hidden detail as Coles slashes prices to rival Woolworths amid growing backlash: 'You're kidding'
Coles and Woolworths have stepped up their discount promises, but customers still aren't convinced of the value. Coles swooped in to offer a discount on more than 680 items just after Woolworths similarly announced the price of nearly 400 grocery staples would be slashed. A family spending $150 on their weekly shop at Woolies is expected to save around $15, or 10 per cent, however, Coles is offering an average saving of 21 per cent. But if you look a bit closer, Woolworths has offered prices to be locked in until 2026, while Coles discounts will only apply for a few months. 'Our promotions reflect seasonal availability to reward customers with savings on their favourite products, including meat and seafood, pantry, bakery, frozen, health and home care," a Coles spokesperson said. $6 million cost Coles and Woolworths pay that Aldi refuses to cave on Property mogul reveals $200,000 error cashing in on 'untapped' goldmine Accountant reveals $37 meal expense the ATO lets workers claim on tax: 'Without a receipt' While the two supermarkets battle it out for every Aussie dollar, some shoppers called out Woolworths' example of a family spending $150 per week on their groceries. According to Finder, the average weekly spend is $204, but shoppers felt it was much higher. "Who spends just 150 a week? try 400+ a week," said one customer. "$150 a week for a FAMILY? You're kidding, right?" added another. "$150 per week on shopping definitely not enough if you have kids that go to school about $300," wrote a discount will kick in on Wednesday, May 14, and was actioned after customers told Woolies they needed more value from their weekly shop. Here are some of the nearly 400 items that will be discounted from this week: Woolworths chicken schnitzel 600g will drop from $10.50 to $9 1kg Woolworths home brand Greek yoghurt was $4.20 but will be $3.80 Coca-Cola 2L bottle will fall from $4.20 to $3.70 Four N Twenty party sausage roll 500g will have 50 cents shaved off it to be $7 12 12-pack of Maggi noodles will be $9 after falling from $10 Bulk size Babylove nappies will be $2 cheaper at $16 45-pack of Shine Optimum all-in-one dishwasher pods was $13 but will be $11.70 Coles has revealed its current Down Down discounts on items for the next few weeks: I&J Salmon Portions 500g has fallen to $20.00 from $26.00 Tip Top Café Raisin Toast was $7.20 and is dropping to $5.50 Gold Sunset Vegetable Oil 2L is down to $9.00 from $16.00 Coles Choc Chip Muffin Bars 10pk have dropped to $5.90 from $6.60 Pine O Cleen Disinfectant 1.25L has been discounted to $5.60 from $8.00 $1.50 has been knocked off the price of Quilton 4ply Toilet Tissue, which will be $13.50 31-pack of Fairy Platinum Plus Lemon Dishwashing Tablets is down to $19.50 from $39.00 Woolworths and Coles have been under pressure in the past year to address their prices after shoppers complained they couldn't afford staple items. The two supermarket juggernauts are facing Federal Court action, along with several class action lawsuits, over their pricing tactics and strategies. Woolworths copped the ire of customers recently after it revealed it would be changing two beloved schemes. Delivery Unlimited customers were told in an email that they will no longer receive double rewards points to their Everyday Rewards accounts from June 1. It's a $15 a month subscription that gave customers free delivery on same day or next day orders of $75 or more. A Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo Finance its service continued to be 'very popular' with customers and asserted it 'provides great value and convenience to customers'. 'We are streamlining Delivery Unlimited to focus on the primary benefit for subscribers which is providing timely and convenient delivery,' the spokesperson said. 'As such we are removing 2x Everyday Rewards points from the program. Instead customers will receive three months complimentary Direct To Boot Now which offers Direct To Boot pick up in less than 60 minutes. Direct To Boot Now normally costs $5 per order.' Everyday Extra members will also no longer be able to claim 10 per cent off their Big W purchases once per month from June while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Not a surprise': what's behind Australia's egg shortage, and is it here to stay?
Greg Mills knows his eggs. He has been working in the industry for more than 15 years: with the New South Wales department of primary industries; as an industry adviser to the national poultry welfare code; as a university lecturer on egg production; and as an on-farm consultant in the development of free-range farms. He has talked eggs to schoolchildren at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and presented to wider audiences on why we have intensive livestock systems. In 2017 he was named Kondinin rural consultant of the year. So, when Mills says that what we are seeing on supermarket shelves now – no eggs or expensive eggs – is here to stay, it pays to listen up. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter 'These problems are not a surprise,' Mills says. 'As we transition away from caged-egg production by 2036, I'd expect to see more outbreaks of avian influenza and resultant drops in egg availability. We're dealing with a biological system with a perishable product and we can't just turn it off and on at will.' Australia's growing population demands more eggs and consumers turn to eggs as a source of low-cost protein when times are tight. But consumers have consistently shown a growing preference for free-range eggs. In 2024 they made up 60% of all eggs bought at supermarkets according to peak industry body Australian Eggs, and major supermarkets Coles and Woolworths pledged to phase out cage eggs by this year. The UK, Europe and New Zealand have banned cage eggs and in 2023 Australia committed, after more than a decade of intense debate and strong animal welfare campaigns, to follow suit by 2036. But free-range eggs are more susceptible to avian influenza – the underlying factor contributing to bare shelves. Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) occurs naturally in about 2% of the wild bird population, most prevalent in waterfowl such as ducks. When LPAI reaches high concentrations of commercial chickens the virus, like the human flu, has the potential to mutate to high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). 'Due to the outdoor nature of free-range chickens, they are more susceptible to contracting LPAI because they have a greater chance of coming into contact with wild birds such as ducks,' Mills says. 'We don't see it very often but when we do it has major impacts.' Further problems can arise if HPAI jumps from the commercial flocks back into the wild population where it can be deadly, not only to birds but, in some strains, to humans. Any suspected outbreak of avian influenza is a notifiable disease and Australia currently takes a zero-tolerance approach to HPAI outbreaks. A 2020 paper in One Health, the journal of the International Federation for Tropical Medicine, warned that 'a 25% change in the proportion of farms in the Australian commercial chicken industry to free-range farming would increase the probability of a HPAI outbreak by 6–7%, rising to 12–14% with a 50% change to free-range farming'. Concurrent with the rise of free-range systems has been the rise in the number of avian influenza outbreaks. LPAI was detected in 1976, 1992 and 1997 but since then HPAI outbreaks have been more common with incidents in 2012, 2013, 2020, 2024 and in northern Victoria earlier this year. Should avian influenza be detected on an egg farm, most of which are family owned and operated (unlike meat chickens), the farm is automatically destocked and decontaminated, and the hens are culled in line with disease management strategies. 'There are two aspects to the cull,' Mills says. 'The first is the birds are going to die a terrible death – there is no treatment – and so humane euthanasia is a good option. The second reason is to prevent the spread of disease.' If the farm is in an infection control zone – an area shut down for biosecurity regions in response to the outbreak – it cannot restock until all farms in that zone are declared free. This may take many months depending on the scale of the outbreak. Then laying hens must be replaced at staggered intervals to ensure age diversity in the flock. Older hens produce lower-quality eggs so having a range of ages ensures consistent egg supply. 'Eggs are a perishable product and the industry is finely tuned to meet demand without producing a surplus,' Mills says. 'As little as a 1% decrease in egg production will tighten supply on shelves, but the 2024 avian influenza outbreak caused an 8% decrease and industry has no capacity to immediately fill this gap.' Imagine you are a farmer who has just had 30,000 hens culled. Depending on the size of the outbreak you might not be able to begin restocking for months and when you do pullets of those numbers may not be available. And you've laid off staff in the meantime. It may not mean the end of your business, but it is a fairly big challenge to surmount. Rebuilding takes time. Back in the 1960s Australia transitioned from free-range eggs to the caged (or battery) system. This allowed management of factors such as light. In the natural world chickens tend to reduce laying in the winter months, with a resultant dip in egg supply. Caged hens could produce a consistent supply with fewer disease risks, which also lowered the cost of eggs. Barn-raised eggs – indoor production systems that allow the free movement of chickens and more natural behaviour – currently make up 10% of the Australian market. 'All three systems (free-range, barn, cage) have pros and cons and each requires some sort of trade-off,' Mills says. 'There is no perfect system – it comes down to your personal values.' Increased biosecurity measures across all egg production systems are essential for disease control, and free-range farms can mitigate against avian influenza by reducing flock exposure to wild waterfowl, treating water that may have had exposure to wild waterfowl and restricting human and equipment movement between farms. As we transition back to free-range or modern housed systems that allow space and enrichment for chickens, Mills says we can continue to expect dips in supply. 'What you're seeing on supermarket shelves now could become the new normal.'
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
VIDEO: Hammered: Inside the Bunnings Machine
Skip to main content We love Bunnings — it's where we go for our weekend sausage sizzle and to fulfill our DIY dreams. But what if the store Australians trust most is not as benign as it would have us believe? Bunnings has quietly become one of Australia's most dominant and profitable retailers, with rivals saying its market power matches Coles and Woolworths combined. Yet it faces none of the scrutiny of the big two supermarkets. Critics also claim it's a corporate predator systematically picking off independents, shutting down competition and abusing its dominance with suppliers. For its part Bunnings insists it's just another competitor in a crowded field. Four Corners' Angus Grigg and Emilia Terzon from the ABC business team dig into Bunnings' unchecked dominance, its soaring profits, and whether regulators have turned a blind eye while it reshapes Australian retail. This is the untold story of how Bunnings became a national icon — and what we lose when one brand dominates the backyard. Hammered reported by Angus Grigg and Emilia Terzon, produced by Elise Potaka goes to air on Monday 12 May at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
