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 | Retailing |
| Founded | 22 September 1924 |
| Founders | Percy Christmas Stanley Chatterton Cecil Scott Waine George Creed Ernest Williams |
| Headquarters |
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Australia
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Area served
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Australia, New Zealand |
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Key people
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Gordon Cairns (Chairman) Bradford Banducci (CEO) Annette Karantoni (Chief Supply Officer) Amanda Bardwell (New CEO, Sept 24) |
| Revenue |  A$63.67 billion (2020) |
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Operating income
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A$3.19 billion (2020) |
 A$1.602 billion (2020) |
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Number of employees
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215,000 (2020) |
| Divisions | Supermarkets (Woolworths, Metro Woolworths NZ) General Merchandise (Big W) Marketplace (MyDeal, Everyday Market, Big W Market) |
| Subsidiaries | List of subsidiaries |
Woolworths Group Limited is a big Australian company that runs many retail stores. It's most famous for its supermarkets, like Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia and Woolworths (formerly Countdown) in New Zealand. They also own the discount department store Big W.
This company is headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney. It's one of the largest companies in Australia based on how much money it makes and how many people it employs. Woolworths Group also has a large presence in New Zealand.
Woolworths started in Sydney in 1924 as a variety store. Over time, it grew and changed, focusing more on supermarkets. Since 2012, Woolworths has sold off many parts of its business, like shopping centres and electronics stores. This helped them focus on their main supermarket business.
Today, Woolworths owns several well-known brands. These include Woolworths Supermarkets, the customer loyalty program Everyday Rewards, and the discount store Big W in Australia. In New Zealand, they own Woolworths NZ, SuperValue, and FreshChoice supermarkets.
Contents
- Discovering Woolworths: How It Started
- Woolworths Brands and Businesses
- Images for kids
Discovering Woolworths: How It Started
The First Store: A Bargain Basement (1924-1957)
The very first Woolworths store opened its doors on December 5, 1924. It was called the "Woolworths Stupendous Bargain Basement." You could find it in the old Imperial Arcade on Pitt Street, Sydney.
Five friends started the company: Percy Christmas, Stanley Chatterton, Cecil Scott Waine, George Creed, and Ernest Williams. They wanted to create a store like the famous Woolworth's chain in the United States and United Kingdom.
Interestingly, the new Woolworths store was one of the first variety stores in the world to give customers printed receipts from cash registers.
Growing Across Australia and New Zealand
In the late 1920s, Woolworths began to grow. They opened a second store in Sydney and expanded to Brisbane, Perth, and Wellington. By 1933, even during the Great Depression, they had 23 stores.
Woolworths opened its first store in Melbourne in 1933. By 1940, with a store in Hobart, Woolworths had a presence in every state in Australia.
World War II slowed down the company's growth. However, after the war, Woolworths expanded quickly again. In 1955, they opened their 200th store in Canberra.
Expanding Beyond Variety Stores (1957-1993)
In 1957, Woolworths started to sell more than just variety items. They opened their first food store in Dee Why, Sydney. This was the beginning of their move into supermarkets.
By 1960, they opened their first purpose-built supermarket. They also bought the Rockmans chain of women's clothing stores and started selling alcohol in some locations.
In the 1970s, Woolworths launched Big W, which are large discount department stores. They also began changing their variety stores into supermarkets. In 1979, Woolworths sold its New Zealand stores.
Woolworths bought a big part of the electronics store Dick Smith in 1981. They owned the whole company by 1983.
Becoming Australia's Largest Food Retailer
In 1985, Woolworths bought 126 Safeway supermarkets. This made Woolworths the biggest food retailer in Australia. By 1989, the last of the original Woolworths Variety stores closed.
In 1989, a group of companies bought Woolworths Limited. This was a big change for the company.
New Directions and Big Changes (1993-2012)
In 1993, Woolworths became a publicly traded company again. This means people could buy shares in the company on the Australian Securities Exchange. It was the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in Australia's history at the time.
In 1996, Woolworths started selling petrol at "Plus Petrol" stations. They also expanded their alcohol sales by buying the Dan Murphy's stores in 1998.
In 2001, Woolworths bought the Tandy electronics chain. They also started a smaller alcohol store chain called BWS.
Partnerships and More Growth
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In 2003, Woolworths partnered with Caltex. They started to supply food and groceries to Woolworths petrol stations, which were then called "Caltex Woolworths."
Woolworths also entered the hotel business in 2004 by buying a large part of the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH). By 2005, they owned 250 hotels.
In 2005, Woolworths returned to the New Zealand market. They bought Progressive Enterprises, which owned supermarket brands like Countdown. This gave them a big share of the grocery market in New Zealand.
In 2008, Woolworths launched its own credit card, the Woolworths Everyday Money MasterCard. This card allowed customers to earn rewards for shopping at Woolworths stores.
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In 2009, Woolworths teamed up with the American retailer Lowe's. They started 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 many of its shopping centres. They also decided to leave the electronics retail business. They sold their Dick Smith Electronics chain.
In 2015, the Masters Home Improvement chain was losing a lot of money. In 2016, Woolworths announced that all Masters stores would close. This was a big decision to stop losses.
In 2016, the company reported a large financial loss. This was mainly due to the problems with the Masters business and losses from Big W.
In 2016, Woolworths' liquor group was renamed Endeavour Drinks Group. In 2018, Woolworths decided to sell its petrol stations to the British company EG Group. This deal was completed in 2019.
New Ventures and Modern Changes (2019-Present)
In 2019, Woolworths launched Cartology, a media business. They also started W23, a venture capital arm to invest in new companies.
In 2019, Woolworths combined its alcohol and hotel businesses into a new company called Endeavour Drinks. Woolworths kept a large share of this new company.
In 2020, Woolworths bought a big part of PFD Food Services, a food distributor. This helped them expand into selling to other businesses.
Digital Growth and Rebranding
In September 2020, Woolworths partnered with PetSure to launch PetCulture. This online business sells pet products, insurance, and services.
Woolworths also increased its ownership in Quantium, an analytics company. They created a new data science business called Wiq. In 2020, Woolworths rebranded its supply chain as Primary Connect.
In 2021, Woolworths launched HealthyLife, an online platform for health and wellness advice and products.
In June 2021, Woolworths separated its alcohol, hotel, and gambling businesses into a new company called Endeavour Group. This new company now runs brands like Dan Murphy's and BWS. Woolworths still owns a small part of Endeavour Group.
In February 2022, Woolworths Group changed its logo. The new logo was designed to show what the company stands for today.
In May 2022, Woolworths bought a large part of MyDeal, an online marketplace. In July 2022, Cartology bought Shopper Media, an advertising company.
In December 2022, Woolworths Group announced it would buy a share in Petspiration Group, another pet business. They also partnered with SuperPharmacy for health services.
In March 2023, HealthyLife started offering telehealth services. This allows people to talk to doctors and dietitians online.
In May 2023, Woolworths acquired Milkrun, a fast grocery delivery startup. Woolworths then rebranded its own delivery service, Metro60, as Milkrun.
In July 2023, Woolworths announced that its New Zealand supermarkets, Countdown, would be rebranded as Woolworths. This change will happen over the next three years.
In November 2023, Woolworths launched MarketPlus. This platform brings together its online marketplaces like MyDeal and Big W market. Shoppers can use their Everyday Rewards points across these platforms.
In February 2024, Woolworths announced that its CEO, Brad Banducci, would retire. Amanda Bardwell is set to become the new CEO.
Woolworths Brands and Businesses
Woolworths Group has many different brands and businesses. They are divided into consumer-facing brands, business services, and retail platforms.
Consumer Brands
These are the brands you probably know best, where you shop for everyday items.
- Woolworths Supermarkets – This is Australia's largest supermarket chain. It has almost 1,000 stores across the country.
- Woolworths New Zealand – This includes the main Woolworths NZ supermarkets, which have 191 stores.
- SuperValue – These are smaller, franchised convenience supermarkets in New Zealand.
- FreshChoice – These are franchised full-service supermarkets in New Zealand.
- Big W – A popular discount department store chain. They sell a wide range of general products, from clothes to home goods.
- Everyday Rewards – This is a customer loyalty program. It gives you discounts, savings on fuel, and other rewards when you shop.
- Woolworth Financial Services & Insurance – They offer financial products like credit cards, gift cards, and insurance under the Woolworths brand.
- MyDeal – An online marketplace that Woolworths acquired in 2022.
- PetCulture – An online business for pet products, services, and insurance. Woolworths owns 60% of this venture.
- HealthyLife – An online platform launched in 2021 that offers health and wellness advice, products, and services.
Business Services
These parts of Woolworths Group help other businesses.
- Woolworths at Work – An online shopping platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses and organizations.
- PFD Food Services – A food service distributor. Woolworths acquired a 65% stake in this company in 2020.
Retail Platforms
These are the systems and services that support Woolworths' operations and other businesses.
- Cartology – A media business started in 2019. It helps communicate with suppliers and customers.
- Primary Connect – The supply chain part of the company, launched in 2020. It manages how products get from suppliers to stores.
- Quantium – An analytics firm. Woolworths owns 75% of this company, which helps them understand data.
- Wpay – A payments platform launched in 2021. It handles all the payments for Woolworths and can be used by other businesses too.
Other Ventures
- W23 – This is Woolworths' venture capital arm. It was started in 2019 to invest in new and innovative companies.
Images for kids
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Headquarters at the Norwest Business Park
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Logo used until 2017
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Woolworths and Big W flagship store in the Sydney CBD
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A Caltex Woolworths petrol station in Lewisham, New South Wales
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A Masters Home Improvement store in Majura
