Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets are an Australian supermarket chain owned by Coles Group. With over 500 stores nationally and a staff of 60,000 people, Coles currently hold the 2nd largest market share behind Woolworths Supermarkets.
History
Coles was founded by George James (G.J.) Coles in 1914 when what was called the "Coles Variety Store" opened on 9 April in Smith Street in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood. Expansion to more stores occurred and the chain was regarded as the leaders in providing value to Australian shoppers. (G. J. Coles learned the retail trade working for his father's "Coles Store" business at Wilmot, Tasmania between 1910 and 1913).
In 1960, the first supermarket was opened in Melbourne suburb, North Balwyn, and in 1973 a Coles store had been established in all capital cities of the country.
Throughout the 1980's, stores were entitled "Coles New World" until they were renamed Coles Supermarkets in the early 1990's and given the trademark "orb" logo, however this has again moved on to become the circled tick as shown above.
Since its humble beginning, Coles Supermarket stores have expanded in size, service, and convenience.
Promotions
- 4c/litre Fuel Offer - Spend More than $30.00 in a single transaction at either Coles, Bi-Lo or Liquorland to receive a 4c/litre fuel discount coupon at the end of the recipt for use at Shell/Coles Express service stations. Currently the offer extends to 6c/litre if you also spend $2 or more instore at Coles Express
- FlyBuys - Shoppers can collect FlyBuys loyalty program points throughout the Coles Myer network
- iTunes - iTunes Store prepaid cards are available at Coles
- In 1993, Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd. ran a promotion in conjunction with Apple Computer entiled "Apples for Students", where students collected grocery dockets and returned them to their participating school, and once a certain value had been reached the school would be provided with a free Macintosh computer.
Departments
Each department is managed by a Department Manager, who delgates tasks to department supervisors and staff. The Department manager reports to the Store Manager. In the absence of the Department Manager, the Second-In-Charge supervises the department.
- Bake House: The Bakery department manages baked products such as cakes, and many Coles stores have their own bakehouse with which to create products onsite. Types of bake houses include "in-store bakeries" and "bake off plus". Where there is no bake house, a proprietory bakery exists, meaning that all products sold are bought in from outside sources. Proprietory bakeries have a 'bakery in-charge' who's line manager is the Dry Goods Manager. In store bakeries have a 'bakery manager' who directly reports to the store manager.
- Service: This department is the main point of contact between customers and staff. It comprises of the checkouts which are operrated by Customer Service Assistants, and where the customer purchases are made, and the customer service desk where customers can inquire about products and other information. This department can often draw on resources of other departments.
- Dairy: Dairy maintains refrigerated and frozen foods such as milk, other dairy products, and juices and ensures that stock meets appropriate temperature requirements.
- Delicatessen: The Deli packages meat and other delicatessen products for customers according to the customer's wishes. They may also have a Cappucino Café area serving hot savoury food, coffee, and cakes. It is important to note, however, that while the Café is structurally part of the Delicatessen, it is actually run by the Bakery department.
- Fresh Produce: The Fresh Produce department are responsible for all fruits and vegetables in the supermarket, and staff members often prepare fruit for sale.
- Grocery: Grocery carries out stock placement, ordering the aisle shelves and performing general maintenance duties such as cleaning up spillages, carrying out price checks, and sometimes retrieving trolleys. Grocery staff often assist customers with transporting difficult products around the store and car park or with general queries. The Grocery department comes under the direction of the Dry Goods Manager, who also manages the proprietory bakery department (where applicable) and is generally regarded as 3rd in charge of the store.
- Meat: The Meat department stocks pre-packaged refrigerated meat products (known as Retail Ready Meat) for customers and prepares many of these packages for sale. The only exception to this is in Western Australia, where all Coles Supermarkets run a true meat room, with a full complement of butchers and apprentices. This is the only state where the meat is prepared in the store, and only less common lines, such as turkey mince and ready-to-cook products, arrive pre-packed. Older stores in other states such as Victoria may still have meat rooms, but this is becoming less common as the Company refurbishes these stores. Despite common public perception, Retail Ready Meat is not gas flushed, rather sealed with purified air.
- Liquor: This department is in charge of managing alcoholic products. The Liquor department only exists in stores with 'Coles Liquor', as opposed to Liquorland. Coles Liquor means that liquor is sold instore in the grocery isles - i.e. one side of the isle is everyday drinks, the other side liquor. Coles Supermarkets do not control Liquorland stores. All Liquorland stores are run independently with their own store manager and staff. Note that not all stores in every state have this department due to government laws in each state.
- General Merchandise & Apparel: Non-food items such as clothing, hardware, magazines, stationary and gardening products.
- Over Head: This department covers Point of Sale (Ticketing), Administration (Office Employees), and Receiving where the Stockhand is located. The roles of Store Manager, Store Support Manager (usually regarded as the Second-In-Charge to the store) and Duty Manager are also considered as a part of this department.