Woolworths Group (Australia) facts for kids
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Headquarters at the Norwest Business Park
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Trade name
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Woolworths Limited (1924–2017) Woolworths Group (2017–present) |
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| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 22 September 1924 |
| Founders | Percy Christmas Stanley Chatterton Cecil Scott Waine George Creed Ernest Williams |
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Australia
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Number of locations
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1,824 stores (2025) |
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Area served
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Australia, New Zealand |
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Key people
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Amanda Bardwell (CEO) Scott Perkins (chairman) |
| Revenue |  A$67.92 billion (2024) |
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Operating income
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 A$1.62 billion (2024) |
| A$117 million (2024) |
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| Total assets | A$33.94 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | A$5.57 billion (2024) |
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Number of employees
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201,000 (2024) |
| Divisions | Supermarkets (Woolworths, Metro Woolworths NZ) General Merchandise (Big W) Marketplace (MyDeal, Everyday Market, Big W Market) Finance and loyalty (Everyday Rewards, Woolworths Financial) |
| Subsidiaries | List of subsidiaries |
Woolworths Group Limited is a big Australian company that runs many different stores. It's most famous for its supermarkets, like Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia and Woolworths (which used to be called Countdown) in New Zealand. They also own the discount department store Big W. The company's main office is in Bella Vista, Sydney. It is one of the largest companies in Australia based on how much money it makes and how many people it employs.
Woolworths started in Sydney in 1924 as a variety store. Over the years, it grew a lot and started to focus more on supermarkets. By the 1980s, it had closed its original variety stores. In recent years, Woolworths has sold off many of its other businesses, like shopping centres, electronics stores, and fuel stations, to focus mainly on supermarkets.
Today, Woolworths owns Woolworths Supermarkets, the customer loyalty program Everyday Rewards, and the discount store Big W in Australia. In New Zealand, it owns Woolworths NZ, SuperValue, and FreshChoice supermarkets.
A Look Back: Woolworths History
How Woolworths Began (1924–1957)
The very first Woolworths store, called the "Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement," opened in Sydney on December 5, 1924. Five friends started the company: Percy Christmas, Stanley Chatterton, Cecil Scott Waine, George Creed, and Ernest Williams.
The name "Woolworths" was inspired by a similar chain in the United States and United Kingdom called F.W. Woolworth. One of the founders, Ernest Robert Williams, managed to register the name in New South Wales.
This new Woolworths store was special because it was the first variety store in the world to use cash registers that printed receipts for customers.
The company grew quickly in the 1920s and 1930s, even during tough economic times. By the end of 1933, there were 23 stores. Woolworths opened its first store in Melbourne in 1933 and expanded to Adelaide in 1936. By 1940, with a store in Hobart, Woolworths had stores in every state in Australia.
World War II slowed down the company's growth. After the war, Woolworths expanded rapidly again, opening its 200th store in Canberra in 1955.
Growing and Changing (1957–1993)
In 1957, Woolworths started to sell food, opening its first food store in Sydney. In 1960, it opened its first purpose-built supermarket. The company also tried opening a department store called Big W in the 1960s, but it didn't last long. The name Big W was later used again in the 1970s for the discount department stores we know today.
Woolworths also started changing its variety stores into supermarkets. In 1979, Woolworths sold its businesses in New Zealand.
In 1981, Woolworths bought a large part of the electronics store chain Dick Smith, and then bought the rest of it in 1983.
In 1985, Woolworths became the largest food retailer in Australia after buying 126 Safeway supermarkets. By 1989, the last of the original Woolworths Variety stores had closed. The "Family Centres" were split into separate Big W discount stores and Woolworths supermarkets.
New Beginnings and More Growth (1993–2012)
In 1993, Woolworths became a publicly traded company on the Australian Securities Exchange. This was one of the biggest stock offerings in Australia's history at the time.
Woolworths started selling petrol in 1996 with its "Plus Petrol" outlets. It also expanded its liquor business by buying Dan Murphy's stores in 1998. In 2001, Woolworths bought the Tandy electronics chain and started the smaller liquor store chain BWS.
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In 2003, Woolworths teamed up with Caltex to create co-branded petrol stations called Caltex Woolworths.
To follow licensing laws in Queensland, Woolworths also got into the hotel business in 2004 by buying a large part of the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH). By 2005, Woolworths owned 250 hotels.
In 2005, Woolworths returned to the New Zealand market by buying Progressive Enterprises, which owned supermarket brands like Countdown. This deal gave Woolworths a big share of the grocery market in New Zealand.
In 2008, Woolworths launched its own credit card, the Woolworths Everyday Money MasterCard, which allowed customers to earn rewards for shopping at Woolworths stores.
In 2008, Woolworths also launched Thomas Dux, a gourmet grocery store.
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In 2009, Woolworths and an American company called Lowe's started a joint business to launch a new hardware store chain called Masters Home Improvement. The first Masters stores opened in 2011.
Focusing on Core Business (2012–2019)
In 2012, Woolworths sold off 69 shopping centres it owned. It also sold its electronics businesses, including Dick Smith Electronics.
In 2015, the Masters Home Improvement chain was losing a lot of money. In 2016, Woolworths announced that it would close all Masters stores. The last Masters stores closed by the end of 2016.
In 2016, the company reported a big financial loss, mainly because of the failed Masters business.
Woolworths also sold its Caltex Woolworths petrol stations to the British company EG Group in 2019. This deal allowed customers to continue using their Woolworths fuel discounts and earning Woolworths Rewards points.
New Ideas and Changes (2019–Present)
In 2019, Woolworths started a new media business called Cartology and a venture capital arm called W23.
In July 2019, Woolworths combined its liquor and hotel businesses, including BWS, Cellarmasters, Jimmy Brings, Dan Murphy's, and ALH, into a new company called Endeavour Drinks. Woolworths later sold most of its shares in Endeavour Group.
In 2020, Woolworths bought a large share of PFD Food Services, a company that distributes food to businesses. This helped Woolworths expand into the wholesale market.
In September 2020, Woolworths and PetSure launched a new online business called PetCulture, which sells pet insurance, food, and products. Woolworths owns 60 percent of this business.
In 2021, Woolworths launched HealthyLife, an online platform for health and wellness advice and products.
In June 2021, Woolworths officially separated its alcohol, hotel, and gambling businesses into a new company called Endeavour Group. This new company now owns brands like Dan Murphy's and BWS. Woolworths sold its remaining shares in Endeavour Group in August 2024.
In February 2022, Woolworths Group updated its logo to show what its different businesses stand for today.
In May 2022, Woolworths bought a large share of the online marketplace MyDeal. In July 2022, Cartology bought an advertising company called Shopper Media. In December 2022, Woolworths Group also bought a share in Petspiration Group, another pet business.
In July 2023, Woolworths announced that its New Zealand supermarkets, previously called Countdown, would be rebranded as Woolworths over the next three years. This change started in early 2024 and also brought the Everyday Rewards program to New Zealand shoppers.
In February 2024, Woolworths announced that its CEO, Brad Banducci, would retire in September 2024. Amanda Bardwell, who led WooliesX, became the new CEO.
How Woolworths Operates
For Customers
- Woolworths Supermarkets – This is Australia's biggest supermarket chain, with 995 stores across the country.
- Woolworths New Zealand
- Woolworths NZ – The main supermarket chain in New Zealand, with 191 stores.
- SuperValue – Smaller, local supermarkets that are run by franchisees.
- FreshChoice – Full-service supermarkets also run by franchisees.
- Big W – A discount department store that sells a wide range of general items.
- Everyday Rewards – A loyalty program that gives customers discounts and rewards.
- Woolworths Financial Services & Insurance – Offers financial products like credit cards and gift cards.
- MyDeal – An online shopping marketplace.
- PetCulture – An online business for pet products, services, and insurance, started with PetSure.
- HealthyLife – An online platform for health and wellness advice and products.
For Businesses
- Woolworths at Work – An online shopping platform for small and medium-sized businesses.
- PFD Food Services – A food service distributor that Woolworths partly owns.
Retail Support Platforms
- Cartology – A media business that helps connect with suppliers and customers.
- Primary Connect – The supply chain part of the business, helping move products.
- Quantium – An analytics company that Woolworths partly owns, which helps understand data.
- Wpay – A platform for payments.
Other Ventures
- W23 – A special part of the company that invests in new and exciting businesses.
