Coles is the leading grocery retailer in Australia founded by George James Coles. The first store was opened in Melbourne suburb Collingwood in 1914. In 1930 Coles rapidly expanded the number of its locations, and later, in 1960, started focusing on grocery retailing and converting its stores to grocery supermarkets. In terms of the number of locations, Coles is the biggest supermarket chain in Australia, with more than 2,500 locations. The company employs more than 112,000 people.
Coles was one of the first grocery retailers to launch the self-service system in its stores. Groceries, fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy goods, and frozen meals were all sold in one store, which was an innovative concept in Australian food retailing. Today customers are offered a larger choice, more savings, and the highest possible standard of quality than ever seen before at Coles supermarkets. Cleanliness, a wide selection of products, friendly staff, and good prices is what customers love the most about Coles stores. Besides supermarkets, Coles also operates a couple of petrol stations and convenience stores. In 2020 Coles launched three new store formats: A - premium stores that offer the widest range of best quality products, B - standard stores with all the efficient products and a wide range of fruit and vegetable options, C - self-service stores with fewer selection options for customers.
Currently, Coles only operates stores in Australia with no locations outside of the country. The chain is constantly looking for new opportunities to expand its locations and improve its services to offer customers the best shopping experience possible. In regard to operating hours: almost all Coles stores are open from 6 AM until 11 PM during the week and from 7 AM until 11 PM on weekends, but we advise you first to check the precise hours using our store locator before visiting.
