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Supermarket giant Woolworths Group had the highest presence across Australia’s leading supermarket and convenience store chains as of January 2026, with around  locations across its network, including Woolworths Supermarkets, Ampol Woolworths, and EG Ampol locations. Its grocery retail rival, Coles Group, came in second, with  locations nationwide, encompassing Coles Supermarkets and Coles Express. American convenience store chain 7-Eleven also makes its mark, with an extensive number of stores in Australia. European supermarkets, Aldi and Spar, have also expanded their networks over the past two decades, slowly eating away at Woolworths, Coles, and Metcash’s grocery retail market share. 

ACCC investigates Australia’s grocery retail market

Australia’s supermarket scene is oligopolistic; the top four companies, Woolworths, Coles, Metcash (IGA), and Aldi, control over ** percent of the country’s grocery retail market share, with around ** percent held by Woolworths and Coles alone. In 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) began its inquiry into the country’s supermarket sector to review pricing and competitive practices following price gouging allegations against Australia’s leading grocery retailers. Alongside the ACCC investigation, consumer advocacy group CHOICE started to create government-funded price transparency and comparison reports, such as average grocery basket price evaluations, to deliver in-depth insights to customers to help them save money amid excessive price increases.

In March 2025, the ACCC's review concluded, with its key recommendations encompassing publishing requirements for major supermarkets regarding pricing, promotions, shrinkflation, and loyalty program benefits to offer more transparency to consumers, as well as curb misleading promotional tactics. Nonetheless, the ACCC’s findings were inconclusive on whether price gouging was taking place and noted that profitability was not prohibited.

How have Australia’s consumers responded to grocery price inflation?

According to a 2024 survey, around ** percent of Australian consumers perceive the pricing of groceries and related products as unfair, with almost in ** expressing that they felt these products had continued to become costlier since 2023. Convenience, familiarity with a particular store’s layout, and collecting reward points were the key reasons to shop exclusively at a supermarket chain among Australian consumers in a recent survey. Nonetheless, as grocery costs across the country climb, several consumers' grocery retailer loyalties are being tested. Consumers increasingly shop across various stores or switch to cheaper brands to save money and take advantage of price promotions.