Australian grocer, Wesfarmers Ltd – owned Coles has opened up a significant lead over rival Woolworths in the sale of their Private Brands as it expands its portfolio, according to The Australian. The newspaper reported that Coles gained 23% of its sales from Private Brand products last year, compared to Woolworths’ 18%, according to market researcher Nielsen.
Nielsen further predicts that Private Brand products will account for 40% of the Australian grocery market in the next five years.
Both Coles and Woolworths took issue with the data, saying it did not count certain products included in the Nielsen tally, but even so the figures point to respective 30% and 20% increases in Private Brand sales in the last five years.
