General Line Grocery Wholesaling in Australia - Industry Market Research Report

The bottom line: Inflationary pressures are weighing on downstream demand, constraining revenue

Long term wholesale bypass and vertical integration trends among large-scale supermarkets and convenience stores have considerably influenced general line grocery wholesalers' performance in recent years. Supermarket giants, like Coles, Aldi and Woolworths, have displayed significant price competition, hurting grocery wholesalers' turnover and profitability. The COVID-19 outbreak led to the Federal Government imposing trading restrictions on food-services establishments, disrupting their activities. Simultaneously, the pandemic boosted overall activity for supermarkets and grocery stores, which has flowed through to wholesalers. General line grocery wholesaler incomes are expected to rise by an annualised 0.8% over the five years through 2022-23, to total $25.2 billion.

Industry operators wholesale a range of general groceries to a variety of markets, including supermarkets, convenience stores and food-service establishments. The industry includes firms that wholesale at least three of the following grocery lines: meat, poultry and smallgoods; dairy produce; fish and seafood; fruit and vegetables; liquor or tobacco; and confectionery or soft drinks.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.