Woolworths, Coles Branded Key Players in Australia’s Supermarket Oligopoly: ACCC Interim Report

Both companies are will face a public inquiry in November.

Woolworths and Coles supermarket signage in Melbourne, Australia on March 13, 2024. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has labelled Woolworths and Coles as key players in an “oligopoly.”

In its 265-page interim report released on Sept. 27, the supermarket giants were revealed to have lost consumer trust, with nearly half of the respondents complaining about prices, up from 17 percent in 2008.