# Beer wars over as Coles pulls pin on discounts



## carniebrew (8/2/13)

http://www.theage.com.au/business/beer-wars-over-as-coles-pulls-pin-on-discounts-20130208-2e2qy.html


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## yum beer (8/2/13)

Leaves them open to push the hard sell and low prices on their own range of shit craft beer...
Doesn't hurt that a lot of little guys have already bit the dust.


Does it really matter if they put up prices on VB and the like, only makes the difference between it and quality beer even less.


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## slash22000 (8/2/13)

All the more reason to brew my own. The price of beer in Australia is completely fucked as it is.


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## DarkFaerytale (8/2/13)

they won't just put up the price on VB ect. i bet they up the price on all there stock... other than there own brands of course


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## Blitzer (8/2/13)

It all boils down to the taxation issues around beer. It costs so much to make (excise) that prices rise & sales drop compared to wine.

It's a shame, craft breweries can pop up all over Australia but until pricing is dealt with it will not be sold to the masses.


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## bum (8/2/13)

If the masses wanted it they'd buy it anyway.

So the war is over at last! Who won?


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## Blitzer (8/2/13)

Nobody won, less people drink beer, coles sells less products and the government loses tax money cause they are too greedy.

Edit: Maybe Woolies won?


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## hsb (8/2/13)

Have these products been checked for horsemeat percentages yet? Could see the price come back down.


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## Nick JD (8/2/13)

Wine wins.


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## Crusty (8/2/13)

Well it's the typical Coles way of doing business unfortunately.
There is a constant push to raise the prices on name brand products across the entire retail range & they continue to add their own brands & fix the pricing on a downward spiral. The ball has been really rolling & picking up momentum in the last couple of years with their own branded products being sold at discounted prices forcing the majority of consumers to purchase the Coles brand against the inflated priced name brands.
I see this on a daily basis as I work there unfortunately.


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## Nick JD (8/2/13)

Can the ACCC come in and thump Coles and Woolies for this?

I mean, picture a future (bright) where Carlton is Cole's bitch, and bogans have to drive to a brewery to buy a slab of VB because Coles no longer stocks it.

Sounds like CUB will be making Coles Brand beer and Lion will be making Woolies Brand beer in a few years.

Perhaps IGA will stock craftbreweries beer?


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## Blitzer (8/2/13)

Thump Coles for not providing sale prices? I doubt it.


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## Nick JD (8/2/13)

Blitzer said:


> Thump Coles for not providing sale prices? I doubt it.


I mean thump Coles if they intend to shift their beer stock to 50% their own brands...


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## adamh (8/2/13)

i don't buy beer from them anyway


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## Crusty (8/2/13)

Nick JD said:


> Can the ACCC come in and thump Coles and Woolies for this?
> 
> I mean, picture a future (bright) where Carlton is Cole's bitch, and bogans have to drive to a brewery to buy a slab of VB because Coles no longer stocks it.
> 
> ...


The ACCC won't do jack shit.
They're as useless as tits on a bull.
You're not far off with the major breweries doing Coles brand beer. No one's doing it & it's an opening for one of them to jump in. It will happen.
I doubt if IGA or any independent grocer will ever stock Craft Beer. These guys operate at inflated profit margins & simply wouldn't be able to make the mark up that they make on everything else. Coles & the other major retailers rely on the turn over at the expense of profit margin whereas the small retail grocers are targeting the convenience factor of their business at the expense of turn over.


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## mikec (8/2/13)

I don't buy slabs of megaswill so I'm finding it hard to give a [email protected] about this.


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## bum (8/2/13)

Crusty said:


> I doubt if IGA or any independent grocer will ever stock Craft Beer.


According to AHB legend, one of the IGAs on the Mornington Peninsula used to stock Schlenkerla from time to time. Imagine such a thing!


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## breakbeer (8/2/13)

Adam Breuer said:


> i don't buy beer from them anyway


Just out of interest, where do you buy your Beer from?


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## Online Brewing Supplies (8/2/13)

bum said:


> So the war is over at last! Who won?


Marketing wins either way.
Nev


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## TidalPete (8/2/13)

Blitzer said:


> Nobody won, less people drink beer, coles sells less products and the *government loses tax money *cause they are too greedy.
> 
> Edit: Maybe Woolies won?


Who cares? Just don't mention us. (Taps finger to the side of nose) B)


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## JestersDarts (8/2/13)

would be alright if they applied this principle to the Milk industry.


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## DUANNE (8/2/13)

bum said:


> According to AHB legend, one of the IGAs on the Mornington Peninsula used to stock Schlenkerla from time to time. Imagine such a thing!


i dont know about the peninsula but the iga in yarra glen has usually got quite a good selection of craft beer.


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## Muggus (14/2/13)

bum said:


> If the masses wanted it they'd buy it anyway.
> 
> So the war is over at last! Who won?


Private label beers perhaps?


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## Liam_snorkel (14/2/13)

BEERHOG said:


> i dont know about the peninsula but the iga in yarra glen has usually got quite a good selection of craft beer.


**** I wish that IGAs / Foodworks etc were allowed to stock alcohol in QLD.


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## bum (14/2/13)

It is technically another shop but still attached. You can't chuck a box of beer in the trolley with your bananas and stuff (they'd bruise).


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## Liam_snorkel (14/2/13)

even that doesn't exist here.


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## Yob (14/2/13)

dont get me wrong here, Im not a defender of either (and dont buy beer through them very often at all) but the woolies near me stocks quitea few IPA's and a fair selection of craft beers.. I was surprised by the range when I went in there with a workmate who was setting up a work function... (took me along to buy the beer :beerbang: )


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## DU99 (14/2/13)

was in seymour visiting my daughter and went to the liquor works store they have good range of craft beer (Mt Macdeon)


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## slash22000 (14/2/13)

Yob said:


> dont get me wrong here, Im not a defender of either (and dont buy beer through them very often at all) but the woolies near me stocks quitea few IPA's and a fair selection of craft beers.. I was surprised by the range when I went in there with a workmate who was setting up a work function... (took me along to buy the beer :beerbang: )


Yeah it's weird. Woolies has stepped up its liquor game big time. I can get my hands on better craft beer at Woolworths Liquor than I can at specialty places like Vintage Cellars etc.


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## Liam_snorkel (14/2/13)

y'know vintage cellars is owned by woolworths too right


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## tallie (14/2/13)

Liam_snorkel said:


> y'know vintage cellars is owned by woolworths too right


Coles actually, but same diff.


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## Liam_snorkel (14/2/13)

oh whoops how embarrassing.


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## GalBrew (14/2/13)

Nick JD said:


> Can the ACCC come in and thump Coles and Woolies for this?
> 
> I mean, picture a future (bright) where Carlton is Cole's bitch, and bogans have to drive to a brewery to buy a slab of VB because Coles no longer stocks it.
> 
> ...


Sounds like it's happening already if you ask me, just not using CUB or Lion......

Coles = Steamrail = Independent Distillers
Woolies = Sail & Anchor = Gage Roads

Notice how much shelf space they occupy now?

Notice they are priced much lower than competing craft beers? (Not that I consider these crafty beers craft).

It's the begining of the end people, notice how both Woolies and Coles now jack the price of all NZ Sav Blancs to $20, except for their private label brands, which are $5-7 cheaper?

Same deal.


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## Muggus (14/2/13)

GalBrew said:


> Sounds like it's happening already if you ask me, just not using CUB or Lion......
> 
> Coles = Steamrail = Independent Distillers
> Woolies = Sail & Anchor = Gage Roads
> ...


And take a guess what they're making FAR more margin on...


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## Nick JD (14/2/13)

GalBrew said:


> It's the begining of the end people...


...of what?

IMO, it's a change from CUB shitwater to Coles shitwater with a colourful label, neither of which I buy.

If Woollies buys Craftbrewer (and Ross gets his fourth Ferrari) and sells only Coles Brand Barrett Burston and Pride of Ringworm relabeled as "Aussie Gold" I'll get a shotgun and google my closest Mall.


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## GalBrew (14/2/13)

Nick JD said:


> ...of what?
> 
> IMO, it's a change from CUB shitwater to Coles shitwater with a colourful label, neither of which I buy.
> 
> If Woollies buys Craftbrewer (and Ross gets his fourth Ferrari) and sells only Coles Brand Barrett Burston and Pride of Ringworm relabeled as "Aussie Gold" I'll get a shotgun and google my closest Mall.


Of course both are shitwater, but the respective retailers have far more flexibility with the ability to loss lead in the short term with their 'crafty' immitations while they jack up the prices of other 'shitwater' such as VB, cartlon draught, Tooheys new etc. which Coles has come out and admitted by 'pulling the pin'. Once they get the megaswillers onto their private label 'crafties' they are then free to jack the price up of those (and everything else) to dramatically increase their profit margin on beer. Everyone will suffer, craft brewers, mega brewers, other retailers and of course the consumer. It's the begining of the end of 'cheap' (and I use that term relatively) beer in Australia. Once Coles and Woolies have sunk their claws nice and deep into the beer market, they will be able to further control its manufacture, distribution and sale. I hope you all like the taste of Steamrail and Sail & Anchor because in a couple of decades that's all that may be left!

It will be shotguns for all then......


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## warra48 (14/2/13)

One thing most people never remember is that the Federal Govt has no power to control prices whatsoever. It just isn't a power vested in them under our Constitution.
So long as a business' activity is not anti-competive or misleading, they are free to charge what they like.
Anyone ever notice how many pollies are keen to attack businesses over pricing, but nothing ever happens, because they are totally impotent when it comes to pricing! Witness petrol watch, grocery watch etc etc etc, totally useless tax wasting activities designed to fool the bulk of voters and make pollies look good, without achieving anything useful.


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## jimmy01 (14/2/13)

God, this is depressing. I'm taking a lead from Gerard Depardieu and moving to Belgium. My liver may not last long but hey they have legalised euthenasia there as well as fantastic beer.


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## Bribie G (14/2/13)

Having lived in Australia for 35 years I have always been puzzled by the lack of supermarket brand beers - they've been doing it in the UK since I was a lad. In fact the COOP society even had their own brewery back in the 60s.


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## Online Brewing Supplies (14/2/13)

Bribie G said:


> Having lived in Australia for 35 years I have always been puzzled by the lack of supermarket brand beers - they've been doing it in the UK since I was a lad. In fact the COOP society even had their own brewery back in the 60s.


And thats why you did a runner , right ??


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## Nick JD (14/2/13)

The breweries are already doing it. Load of BUL out there.

They're gonna have to suck it up.

Or, here's a BLEEDING OBVIOUS idea ... open their own retail outlets. And undercut the Duopoly.


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## Muggus (14/2/13)

Bribie G said:


> Having lived in Australia for 35 years I have always been puzzled by the lack of supermarket brand beers - they've been doing it in the UK since I was a lad. In fact the COOP society even had their own brewery back in the 60s.


Often wondered why they hadn't done this until recently. Tried quite a range of Tesco/Sainsbury beers whilst over there - they weren't bad!

These days Coles & Woolies (and other retail chains), have been pushing their own brand products, the Woolies Select/You'll Love Coles stuff.
Whilst these products generally arn't the highest quality, they're still decent and offer the consumer a similar product at a more affordable price point. These products are pushed hard by retailers because they are not only exclusive to that chain, but represent much better profit margins for said retailer. 
The liquor industry is starting to see more of this with own brand wines/cleanskins, and the emergence of not just private label import beers, but "craft" beers. And naturally retailers are going to push these products like nothing else because of the GP it produces.

Being in retail myself, you get customers ask why are these beers "so cheap"... simple response is "Why do Tooheys/CUB beers cost so much?", because we're making bugger all off them.


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## Batz (14/2/13)

Coles and Woolies are really only just getting into liquor stores and fuel outlets, it obviously paying off for them so watch'em go now. Don't think it's going to do you any good though.

Batz


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## spog (16/2/13)

Nick JD said:


> Can the ACCC come in and thump Coles and Woolies for this?
> 
> I mean, picture a future (bright) where Carlton is Cole's bitch, and bogans have to drive to a brewery to buy a slab of VB because Coles no longer stocks it.
> 
> ...


the ACCC is a toothless tiger...good for **** all,if i am correct all they can do is recommend action not prosecute? ..cheers....spog...


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## philmud (17/2/13)

I went to a barber the other day and he offered me a beer (offer was retracted when he realised they were all warm) & it was an Aldi lager. I was a bit horrified, but presumably this will be common place in the not too distant future. How does this all affect places like Dan Murphy's? Will they contract their range? I can't see that happening - variety/quality is why they are so successful


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## hellbent (17/2/13)

All they will do is encourage more and more people to engage in Home brewing. It's amazing when you talk to friends about HB just how many of them have taken up making basic kit brews etc.
As I have said many times of late....... Greed and foreign investment from overseas will **** this country of ours right up the clacker!


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## jyo (17/2/13)

bum said:


> If the masses wanted it they'd buy it anyway.
> 
> So the war is over at last! Who won?


Does that make it VB Day? Though I doubt people will be dancing in the streets this time.


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## bum (17/2/13)

This image would probably change to fingering behind a dumpster.


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## jyo (17/2/13)

I just tried to photoshop a stubbie of VB into a similar image yet i gave up.


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