Coles Group Limited

In September 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission commenced Federal Court proceedings against Coles Supermarkets Australia, a subsidiary of Coles Group Limited, over alleged misleading discount-pricing claims. The ACCC alleges Coles temporarily increased prices on products before advertising them through its "Down Down" promotion at prices lower than the temporary spike but higher than, or equal to, the previous regular price. The regulator alleges the conduct involved 245 products at different times between February 2022 and May 2023. The ACCC alleges Coles sold large volumes of affected products and derived significant revenue from those sales. The proceeding remains unresolved and the allegations have not yet resulted in final judicial findings. Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-takes-woolworths-and-coles-to-court-over-alleged-misleading-prices-dropped-and-down-down-claims

The Fair Work Ombudsman commenced Federal Court proceedings against Coles Supermarkets Australia over alleged underpayments of thousands of salaried employees. In an amended claim, the regulator alleged that 7,805 salaried employees were underpaid approximately A$113.8 million and that around A$107 million remained outstanding. The alleged conduct occurred between January 2017 and March 2020 and primarily involved annual salaries that allegedly did not cover lawful overtime and other award entitlements. The regulator also alleged record-keeping failures. The litigation has continued through the Federal Court, so the figures remain allegations rather than a final penalty determination. Source: Fair Work Ombudsman https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/20211202-coles-media-release