ACCC Report Exposes Supermarket Oligopoly and Rising Grocery Costs
The regulator's findings confirm market dominance by Woolworths, Coles, and ALDI, with higher profit margins contributing to cost-of-living pressures for Australians.
- The ACCC's final report reveals Woolworths, Coles, and ALDI control 75% of Australia's grocery market, confirming an oligopolistic structure with weak competition.
- Grocery prices have risen 24% over five years, outpacing wage growth and disproportionately impacting lower-income households.
- The report highlights increased profit margins for major supermarkets, attributing some price hikes to higher profits rather than solely supply chain costs.
- Recommended reforms include greater pricing transparency, planning law changes to encourage new competitors, and support for community-owned supermarkets.
- The federal government has agreed in principle with the recommendations, allocated A$2.9 million for supplier education, and committed to new merger powers, while lawsuits against Woolworths and Coles for misleading pricing practices continue.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation 
SBS News 
The Sydney Morning Herald 
The Guardian 
9News 
