Uniform Pricing Policy in Australia

Effective 01 February, Coles joins Aldi in having a uniform pricing policy. This will mean that around 97% of the products sold by Coles will now have the same price regardless of the store location.

“From 1 February, Coles will apply its lowest prices to more than 8,000 grocery products including meat, seafood, dairy, deli and bakery products across the country and the
remaining grocery products will be matched to our lowest prices in each state,” Coles Managing Director, Ian McLeod, explained. “Coles customers will also get the lowest possible prices on fruit and vegetables, as supermarket managers will have the ability to match the best prices for similar quality fruit and vegetables in their local market.”

The new policy will be in effect across the country, except in a few areas which have significantly higher transport costs. The move is being welcomed by consumers, but it will be interesting to see which products are affected.

It may also have a significant impact on manufacturers due to potential reduced purchase price. This may reduce margins and affect profits for these suppliers.
Woolworths is also moving in this direction.

We will need to watch what happens.