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    Supermarket inquiry

    Yesterday

    The new code views penalties as essential to working effectively.

    Why this is a practical, workable supermarket code of conduct

    The new code offers the best of both a mandatory and voluntary system of compliance for the supermarket giants.

    • Craig Emerson

    May

    Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci is facing three big problems.

    Woolies’ reputational crisis has cost it $8b and counting

    The supermarket giant has aggressively brought down prices, but its sales are growing far more slowly than its great rival. That’s a serious problem. 

    • James Thomson

    April

    Woolworths boss Brad Banducci during his testimony to the Senate inquiry in Canberra on April 16.

    Woolworths says forced store sales won’t lower prices

    The nation’s largest grocery chain says the bill put forward by the Greens as a tool against the misuse of market power could even result in higher prices.

    • Carrie LaFrenz
    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

    National security committee to meet after stabbings: PM

    Anthony Albanese says violence and extremism has no place in Australia; Richard Marles reveals defence spending will crack $100 billion by 2034. How the day unfolded.

    • Updated
    • Gus McCubbing
    Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci says he does not focus on return on equity

    What is the true measure of a grocer’s profitability?

    There’s solid ground to dismiss Nick McKim’s use of return on equity. But his audience is not wonky accountants – it’s disgruntled punters facing higher bills.

    • Jonathan Shapiro
    Advertisement
    Senator Nick McKim and Brad Banducci in full flight.

    12 big players dominate fruit and vegetable supplies

    12 suppliers make up half of the total value of all fruit and vegetables sold in Woolies; Coles paid its staff $5 billion in wages last year; Woolworths boss threatened with jail. How the day unfolded.

    • Updated
    • Tom McIlroy
    Greens senator Nick McKim and outgoing Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci.

    Woolworths, Greens in fiery clash on profits

    Outgoing Woolworths boss Brad Banducci was threatened with six months in jail for contempt of the Senate, in a fiery Senate hearing that went off the rails on Tuesday.

    • Carrie LaFrenz and Tom McIlroy
    Respected economist Craig Emerson has recommended big fines for supermarkets that break a new mandatory code of conduct.

    Emerson rejects ‘populist’ supermarket break-up call

    An independent review has rejected the forced break-up of Coles and Woolworths, finding the ideas backed by the Coalition and Greens lacked “credibility”.

    • Ronald Mizen

    Bunnings may be caught by tougher grocery code

    The hardware giant controls 70 per cent of the retail horticulture market, more than Woolworths’ and Coles’ 65 per cent share of supermarkets, prompting suppliers to raise concerns about its buyer power.

    • Ronald Mizen

    Compulsory grocery code strikes right balance

    The interim report seeks to prevent big supermarkets from abusing their market power while rejecting populist policies such as forced divestiture of stores.

    • Craig Emerson

    March

    Coles and Woolworths together control  65 per cent of the Australian grocery market.

    Where your spend at Coles and Woolworths is really going

    The supermarkets are not profit gouging: less than $3 of every $100 spent goes to profits. Look at the market power of brewers and big tech instead.

    • John Kehoe
    Businessman David Bellamy says the supermarket giants treat their suppliers poorly.

    How supermarkets discount and force suppliers to pay

    The Bellamy’s Organic founder helped lead the fourth-largest baby formula producer in Australia. He says the supermarkets can make or break brands.

    • Tom McIlroy
    Australia’s horticulture industry outlook is positive.

    Greens claim farmers are in crisis. The data doesn’t back it up

    The fruit and vegetable sector is expected to be bolstered by strong production growth over coming years despite the Greens claims that Australian farming is at “crisis point”.

    • Tom Rabe and Carrie LaFrenz

    February

    Woolworths boss Brad Banducci.

    Reputation needs bigger role in Woolworths executive pay: ISS

    The proxy advisory group’s comments come as the supermarket giant faces intense scrutiny over its profit margins as household budgets are crunched.

    • Jemima Whyte and Carrie LaFrenz
    Supermarkets are being scrutinised for their price setting practices.

    Limit supermarket mark-ups to ease price pressure, government told

    New forced divestiture powers targeting supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths should be urgently considered by federal parliament, the outspoken crossbencher says.

    • Tom McIlroy and Cindy Yin