10 Facts About Coles Group

Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains.

Since its foundation in Collingwood, Victoria in 1914, Coles Group has grown to become the second-largest retailer in Australia after its principal rival Woolworths in terms of revenue.

Coles Group was run in succession by members of the Coles Group family from 1914 until the mid-1970s by the "famous five knights", brothers Sir George, Sir Arthur, Sir Edgar, Sir Kenneth and Sir Norman – known by their first initials – GJ, AW, EB, KF, NC.

In 1960, the first supermarket was opened in the Melbourne suburb of North Balwyn and in 1973, a Coles Group store had been established in all capital cities of the country.

In 1978 Coles Group acquired full ownership of the Australian K-Mart operation and in 1994 bought back all shares Kmart Corporation held in Coles Group Myer.

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Coles Group has in the past been listed on the NYSE, the New Zealand Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

In 1998, Coles Group Myer opened the first Megamart store, in Coorparoo, Queensland.

The Coles Group board rejected the offer stating it significantly undervalued the company, and was conditional on a due diligence process, without a guarantee that the deal would go ahead.

In May 2007, Coles Group reported its slowest sales growth in at least seven years with continuing poor performance from Coles Group Supermarkets and Kmart.

In September 2022, Coles Group announced that it would sell its Coles Group express stations to another company called Viva Energy.