Coles Group
Encyclopedia
Coles Group Limited was an Australia
n public company that operated numerous retail chains. It was Australia's second-largest retailer, behind Woolworths Limited
. It was acquired by Western Australia
n public company Wesfarmers
, with transfer of ownership on 23 November 2007.
when he opened what was called the "Coles Variety Store" in Smith Street in the Melbourne
suburb of Collingwood
. More stores opened and the chain was regarded as the leaders in providing value to Australian shoppers. Interestingly, the building formerly occupied by the original Coles Variety Store is now the location of a Woolworths outlet - the major competitor to Coles Group.
Coles was run in succession by members of the Coles family from 1914 until the mid-1970s by the "famous five knights", brothers Sir George, Sir Arthur
, Sir Edgar, Sir Kenneth and Sir Norman — known by their first initials — GJ, AW, EB, KF, NC.
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.
Kmart Australia Limited was born out of a joint venture between G.J Coles & Coy (Coles) and Kmart Corporation
in the US. The first store opened in the Melbourne suburb of Burwood
in 1969.
In 1978 Coles acquired full ownership of the Australian K-Mart operation and in 1994 bought back all shares Kmart Corporation held in Coles Myer.
A long-term licensing agreement allows Coles Group to use the Kmart name. Kmart New Zealand shares merchandise and branding with Kmart Australia, and is owned by Coles Group Holdings New Zealand.
In Australia
, BI-LO was established by John Weekes in Adelaide
during the late 1970s. It is a major supermarket chain owned and operated by retail giant Coles Group in parallel to Coles Supermarkets
. It has more than 200 stores in Australia.
In 1996, BI-LO acquired the six-store Newmart discount supermarket chain in Western Australia which then became the equivalent to BI-LO in Western Australia. By August 2002, it grew to 16 stores before being transferred to the management and being re branded as Coles
, though some stores were sold off to FAL and became Action Supermarkets
.
In 2009, Wesfarmers Ltd. sold 45 Coles stores and 8 associated Liquorland stores to the Australian owned retail group FoodWorks. The sale by Wesfarmers was due to those stores not being part of the "product image" however FoodWorks says they were perfect. The move ensures that a broader plan for the remaining 700+ supermarkets and 600+ Liquorland stores. All staff kept their entitlements etc. and the transition will take place until March 2010.
arrived in Melbourne in 1899 as a penniless immigrant, working briefly at a drapery store before moving to Bendigo where he and his brother opened the first Myer
store in 1900. A second store opened in 1908. In 1911 Myer bought a drapery store in Bourke Street, Melbourne
, which later became the flagship Myer store, the Myer Emporium. Myer expanded to Adelaide, acquiring a shareholding in Marshall's department store in 1925, later renaming this company as Myer SA Stores Ltd. Expansion across Australia followed. (Myer is now partly owned by Newbridge Capital, much to the debate of the Australian public. It was bought from Coles Myer in 2006 causing the name change to Coles Group.)
.
By the 1980s, Coles primarily operated supermarket
s, whilst Myer operated a chain of mid-market department store
s, as well as the Target
Discount variety store chain in Australia. In August 1985, the Myer Emporium Ltd and GJ Coles & Coy Ltd merged, becoming the largest ever Australian Corporation. The official name change to "Coles Myer Limited" followed in January 1986.
, based on the US chain Office Depot
, was established in 1993 with the first store opening in the Melbourne
suburb of Richmond
in June 1994. This represented a successful introduction of a "category killer
" - by comparison, around the same time Coles unsuccessfully attempted to negate the arrival of Toys R Us with the short-lived chain World 4 Kids.
In 1996, the operations of Target and Fosseys (earlier "Coles Fosseys") merged and the first Baby Target speciality store was opened, followed in 1998 by Target Home. In 1999, regional Fosseys stores were re-badged as Target Country, with metropolitan stores closed. Following Target's operating loss of $43m in 2001, the chain's format was repositioned to compete less with Kmart
, Woolworths Limited
's Big W
, Harris Scarfe
and The Warehouse, and more with Myer, with a focus on "middle class" quality products, especially clothing and home wares.
In 1998, Myer opened the first Megamart store, in Coorparoo, Queensland
.
Harris Technology
, a computer hardware and software reseller started by Ron Harris in 1986, was acquired in 1999.
By 2001, Coles Myer planned to expand the Megamart chain of furniture and electrical stores, but by 2005 had decided to divest the struggling chain. Six of the nine stores were sold to competitor Harvey Norman
, with the remainder closed.
In 2001, the Company appointed John Fletcher
, formerly of Brambles, as chief executive. Fletcher engineered a brief turnaround in the company's fortunes. Fletcher abolished the shareholder discount card, on the basis that it had eroded margins while providing little benefit, and was unpopular with institutional investors. Since their introduction in the early 1990s, the card had induced a tenfold increase in the number of Coles Myer's shareholders, with the overwhelming majority owning only small parcels of shares.
Fletcher also engineered the acquisition of the retail fuel operations of Shell Australia
with the fuel outlets rebranded as Coles Express
, allowing Coles Group to counter the success of Woolworths' discount petrol operation. Woolworths subsequently gained entry to part of Caltex Australia's network to provide a recognised brand for its fuel offer.
department store business. There was significant interest from both Australian and overseas investors, including the Myer family. On 13 March 2006, Coles Myer announced it would sell Myer to a consortium largely controlled by US private equity
group Newbridge Capital, part of the Texas Pacific Group
. The Myer family retained a 5% stake. Texas Pacific had interests in UK department store Debenhams
and high-end US retailer Neiman Marcus
. The sale was completed in June 2006.
With the sale of Myer, the parent company received shareholder approval to rename as Coles Group Ltd, effective 27 November 2006.
In August 2006, Coles announced that a group of private equity companies led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
(KKR) was looking to buy the company, with an initial proposal of $14.50 per share. The Coles board rejected the offer stating it significantly undervalued the company, and was conditional on a due diligence process, without a guarantee that the deal would go ahead. A second proposal of $15.25 per share in October 2006 was rejected for largely the same reasons.
In November 2006, long-term senior supermarkets executive Peter Scott was dismissed for an unspecified breach of the company's code of conduct.
On 23 February 2007, the company announced a downgrade of expected earnings and that it was considering ownership options, including the possibility of a full sale of the business or a restructuring such as a demerger
. On 20 March 2007, it deferred its plans to rebrand Kmart under the Coles banner and create supercentres, and subsequently paused its conversion of BI-LO
stores to Coles Supermarkets
given the lack of success of this move.
On 23 March, Coles Group stated it planned to sell its businesses as either an entire package, or in three parts (Officeworks, Target and the remaining businesses Kmart, Coles, Bi-Lo, and liquor shops).
On 3 April, Solomon Lew
, the former chairman and long-time antagonist of the current board and management team, sold his 5.8% shareholding of the company. A large portion of these shares were bought by Wesfarmers
, which was believed to be part of a consortium of bidders including Macquarie Bank, PEP and Permira
. The share price at which the transaction took place was reportedly $16.47, then 2.2% above the market price. A bid for the entire company at this price would have valued Coles Group at A$19.7 billion, well above the two KKR proposals announced in 2006.
In May 2007, Coles reported its slowest sales growth in at least seven years with continuing poor performance from Coles Supermarkets and Kmart.
On 2 July 2007, Wesfarmers
announced it intended to buy Coles Group for $22 billion, the largest take-over bid in Australia. The sale was expected to be completed in October 2007.
In August 2007, Wesfarmers foreshadowed its plans for the restructuring of Coles Group following its anticipated takeover, including investment of A$5 billion, establishing three separate divisions (including a combined Bunnings/Officeworks "big box" retailing division), the possible sale of Kmart, and the exit of Coles Group from its head office base at Tooronga.
The independent expert report published in October 2007, advising shareholders preparatory to the proposed sale was critical of the culture within Coles Group.
At a shareholder meeting in Melbourne on 7 November 2007, shareholders voted overwhelmingly with 99.25% approval of the sale of Coles Group to Wesfarmers. The Scheme of Arrangement between Coles Group and its shareholders was approved by the Supreme Court of Victoria
on 9 November 2007, the last day Coles Group shares traded on the Australian Securities Exchange
. The Scheme was implemented on 23 November 2007, ending Coles Group as a company with its subsidiaries merged into Wesfarmers' business structure.
Coles Group Limited was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
with the code CGJ, which references back to its first ever registered company name of G.J. Coles & Coy Proprietary Limited. The company has in the past been listed on the NYSE (de-listed 6 January 2006), the New Zealand Stock Exchange (de-listed 1989) and The London Stock Exchange
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n public company that operated numerous retail chains. It was Australia's second-largest retailer, behind Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
. It was acquired by Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n public company Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is one of Australia’s largest public companies and one of Australia's largest retailers. Its headquarters are in Perth, Western Australia....
, with transfer of ownership on 23 November 2007.
Coles
Separately, in 1914, the first Coles "variety store" was opened in Melbourne. Coles was founded in 1914 by George ColesGeorge Coles (entrepreneur)
George James Coles was the founder of what was to become the Coles Group shopping empire, the largest chain store group in Australia....
when he opened what was called the "Coles Variety Store" in Smith Street in the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Collingwood
Collingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
. More stores opened and the chain was regarded as the leaders in providing value to Australian shoppers. Interestingly, the building formerly occupied by the original Coles Variety Store is now the location of a Woolworths outlet - the major competitor to Coles Group.
Coles was run in succession by members of the Coles family from 1914 until the mid-1970s by the "famous five knights", brothers Sir George, Sir Arthur
Arthur Coles
Sir Arthur William Coles was a prominent Australian businessman and philanthropist.With his brothers Coles founded the Coles Variety Stores in the 1920s, which were to become one of the two largest supermarket chains in Australia now known as Coles Group...
, Sir Edgar, Sir Kenneth and Sir Norman — known by their first initials — GJ, AW, EB, KF, NC.
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.
Kmart Australia Limited was born out of a joint venture between G.J Coles & Coy (Coles) and Kmart Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is a retail conglomerate formed in 2005 by the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Co., of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with Kmart Holdings Corporation, of Troy, Michigan...
in the US. The first store opened in the Melbourne suburb of Burwood
Burwood, Victoria
Burwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is largely the City of Whitehorse but includes the City of Monash in its south west corner. At the 2006 Census, Burwood had a population of 11,886.-History:The...
in 1969.
In 1978 Coles acquired full ownership of the Australian K-Mart operation and in 1994 bought back all shares Kmart Corporation held in Coles Myer.
A long-term licensing agreement allows Coles Group to use the Kmart name. Kmart New Zealand shares merchandise and branding with Kmart Australia, and is owned by Coles Group Holdings New Zealand.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, BI-LO was established by John Weekes in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
during the late 1970s. It is a major supermarket chain owned and operated by retail giant Coles Group in parallel to Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
. It has more than 200 stores in Australia.
In 1996, BI-LO acquired the six-store Newmart discount supermarket chain in Western Australia which then became the equivalent to BI-LO in Western Australia. By August 2002, it grew to 16 stores before being transferred to the management and being re branded as Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
, though some stores were sold off to FAL and became Action Supermarkets
Action Supermarkets
Action is a defunct Australian supermarket chain. Based in Perth, Western Australia, Action had 80 supermarkets across Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, and was one of the largest supermarket chains in Australia...
.
In 2009, Wesfarmers Ltd. sold 45 Coles stores and 8 associated Liquorland stores to the Australian owned retail group FoodWorks. The sale by Wesfarmers was due to those stores not being part of the "product image" however FoodWorks says they were perfect. The move ensures that a broader plan for the remaining 700+ supermarkets and 600+ Liquorland stores. All staff kept their entitlements etc. and the transition will take place until March 2010.
Myer
Sidney MyerSidney Myer
Sidney Baevski Myer was a Russian Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for creating Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores.-Early life:...
arrived in Melbourne in 1899 as a penniless immigrant, working briefly at a drapery store before moving to Bendigo where he and his brother opened the first Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
store in 1900. A second store opened in 1908. In 1911 Myer bought a drapery store in Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street is one of Melbourne's best known streets. Historically been regarded as Melbourne's "second street", with the main street being Collins Street and "busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase. Bourke Street has traditionally been Melbourne's entertainment hub...
, which later became the flagship Myer store, the Myer Emporium. Myer expanded to Adelaide, acquiring a shareholding in Marshall's department store in 1925, later renaming this company as Myer SA Stores Ltd. Expansion across Australia followed. (Myer is now partly owned by Newbridge Capital, much to the debate of the Australian public. It was bought from Coles Myer in 2006 causing the name change to Coles Group.)
Merger of GJ Coles and Myer
Both chains grew throughout Australia through growth and acquisitions, and both independently listed on the Australian Stock ExchangeAustralian Stock Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
.
By the 1980s, Coles primarily operated supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s, whilst Myer operated a chain of mid-market department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, as well as the Target
Target (Australia)
Target Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian department store chain owned by Wesfarmers . It operates 172 Target stores and 119 Target Country stores making 291 combined stores with its head office located in North Geelong, Victoria. It sells clothing, cosmetics, toys, homewares, electrical and...
Discount variety store chain in Australia. In August 1985, the Myer Emporium Ltd and GJ Coles & Coy Ltd merged, becoming the largest ever Australian Corporation. The official name change to "Coles Myer Limited" followed in January 1986.
After the Merger
The office stationery chain OfficeworksOfficeworks
Officeworks is a chain of Australian office supplies stores which was established in the early 1990s by Coles Myer...
, based on the US chain Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
, was established in 1993 with the first store opening in the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
in June 1994. This represented a successful introduction of a "category killer
Category killer
Category killer is a term used in marketing and strategic management to describe a product, service, brand, or company that has such a distinct sustainable competitive advantage that competing firms find it almost impossible to operate profitably in that industry...
" - by comparison, around the same time Coles unsuccessfully attempted to negate the arrival of Toys R Us with the short-lived chain World 4 Kids.
In 1996, the operations of Target and Fosseys (earlier "Coles Fosseys") merged and the first Baby Target speciality store was opened, followed in 1998 by Target Home. In 1999, regional Fosseys stores were re-badged as Target Country, with metropolitan stores closed. Following Target's operating loss of $43m in 2001, the chain's format was repositioned to compete less with Kmart
Kmart Australia
Kmart Australia Limited is a discount department store chain owned by Wesfarmers. It operates 172 stores in Australia and 15 in New Zealand, with its head office located in Mulgrave, Victoria. Wesfarmers uses the Kmart name under licence from Sears Holdings Corporation.-History:Kmart Australia...
, Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
's Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
, Harris Scarfe
Harris Scarfe
Harris Scarfe Department Stores was founded in Adelaide, South Australia in 1849. At its peak, Adelaide was home to several major South Australian department stores , of which Harris Scarfe is the sole...
and The Warehouse, and more with Myer, with a focus on "middle class" quality products, especially clothing and home wares.
In 1998, Myer opened the first Megamart store, in Coorparoo, Queensland
Coorparoo, Queensland
Coorparoo is a southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located approximately four kilometres from the city. Surrounding suburbs include Camp Hill, Holland Park, Greenslopes, East Brisbane, Norman Park and Seven Hills.-Aboriginal history:...
.
Harris Technology
Harris Technology
Harris Technology Pty Ltd. is an Australian electronics retailer owned and operated by Officeworks, a subsidiary of Wesfarmers.-Early history:...
, a computer hardware and software reseller started by Ron Harris in 1986, was acquired in 1999.
By 2001, Coles Myer planned to expand the Megamart chain of furniture and electrical stores, but by 2005 had decided to divest the struggling chain. Six of the nine stores were sold to competitor Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman is a large Australian-based retailer of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods. It is effectively a franchise and the main brand owned by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited...
, with the remainder closed.
In 2001, the Company appointed John Fletcher
John Fletcher (businessman)
John Fletcher is a former CEO of Coles Myer, the biggest retailer in Australia.Prior to Coles Myer, Fletcher was CEO of Brambles Industries, after a long career with them spanning 19 years, initially in an accounting role, and later in general management...
, formerly of Brambles, as chief executive. Fletcher engineered a brief turnaround in the company's fortunes. Fletcher abolished the shareholder discount card, on the basis that it had eroded margins while providing little benefit, and was unpopular with institutional investors. Since their introduction in the early 1990s, the card had induced a tenfold increase in the number of Coles Myer's shareholders, with the overwhelming majority owning only small parcels of shares.
Fletcher also engineered the acquisition of the retail fuel operations of Shell Australia
Shell Australia
In Australia, Royal Dutch Shell conducts a large range of activities. These include exploration for, and the production and commercialization of, oil and natural gas, the operation of two refineries, 19 terminals and 33 depots for the manufacture and distribution of oil products; and the marketing...
with the fuel outlets rebranded as Coles Express
Coles Express
Coles Express is an Australian chain of fuel and convenience stores. The business venture and corresponding fuel discount offer was launched in July 2003 in response to the similar offer by rival Woolworths Limited some years earlier, proving attractive to shoppers.Coles Myer purchased the retail...
, allowing Coles Group to counter the success of Woolworths' discount petrol operation. Woolworths subsequently gained entry to part of Caltex Australia's network to provide a recognised brand for its fuel offer.
Sale of Myer
In August 2005, Coles Myer called for expressions of interest in purchasing the perennially under-performing MyerMyer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
department store business. There was significant interest from both Australian and overseas investors, including the Myer family. On 13 March 2006, Coles Myer announced it would sell Myer to a consortium largely controlled by US private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
group Newbridge Capital, part of the Texas Pacific Group
Texas Pacific Group
TPG Capital is one of the largest private equity investment firms globally, focused on leveraged buyout, growth capital and leveraged recapitalization investments in distressed companies and turnaround situations. TPG also manages investment funds specializing in growth capital, venture capital,...
. The Myer family retained a 5% stake. Texas Pacific had interests in UK department store Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
and high-end US retailer Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
. The sale was completed in June 2006.
With the sale of Myer, the parent company received shareholder approval to rename as Coles Group Ltd, effective 27 November 2006.
Sale of Coles Group
Coles Group planned to rebrand its assorted holdings under the Coles name, with plans to have all holdings other than Officeworks and Target rebranded by late 2007. This plan was not well received by investors, most of whom reportedly believed that such a significant change to the flagship supermarkets business would be too risky and cause an eventual decline in market share. (The plan was eventually put on hold in March 2007 due to the proposed sale of Coles Group.)In August 2006, Coles announced that a group of private equity companies led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
KKR & Co. L.P. is an American-based global private equity firm, specializing in leveraged buyouts, based in New York. The firm sponsors and manages private equity investment funds. Since its inception, the firm has completed over $400 billion of private equity transactions and was a pioneer in...
(KKR) was looking to buy the company, with an initial proposal of $14.50 per share. The Coles board rejected the offer stating it significantly undervalued the company, and was conditional on a due diligence process, without a guarantee that the deal would go ahead. A second proposal of $15.25 per share in October 2006 was rejected for largely the same reasons.
In November 2006, long-term senior supermarkets executive Peter Scott was dismissed for an unspecified breach of the company's code of conduct.
On 23 February 2007, the company announced a downgrade of expected earnings and that it was considering ownership options, including the possibility of a full sale of the business or a restructuring such as a demerger
Demerger
Demerger is a form of corporate restructuring in which the an entity's business operations are segregated into one or more components. It is the converse of a merger or acquisition....
. On 20 March 2007, it deferred its plans to rebrand Kmart under the Coles banner and create supercentres, and subsequently paused its conversion of BI-LO
BI-LO (Australia)
BI-LO is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers . Once a chain of 180 outlets, most BI-LO supermarkets were re-branded as Coles Supermarkets during 2006 and 2007. In October 2008, Coles stated it was looking to create a new chain to replace the remaining BI-LO stores...
stores to Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
given the lack of success of this move.
On 23 March, Coles Group stated it planned to sell its businesses as either an entire package, or in three parts (Officeworks, Target and the remaining businesses Kmart, Coles, Bi-Lo, and liquor shops).
On 3 April, Solomon Lew
Solomon Lew
Solomon Lew is an Australian businessman, and one of Australia's richest men. His principal commercial activities involve importing apparel, toys and other goods into Australia from China and share market investments, principally in retail companies.He was formerly a director then Chairman of the...
, the former chairman and long-time antagonist of the current board and management team, sold his 5.8% shareholding of the company. A large portion of these shares were bought by Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is one of Australia’s largest public companies and one of Australia's largest retailers. Its headquarters are in Perth, Western Australia....
, which was believed to be part of a consortium of bidders including Macquarie Bank, PEP and Permira
Permira
Permira is a United Kingdom-based private equity firm with global reach. The firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €20 billion....
. The share price at which the transaction took place was reportedly $16.47, then 2.2% above the market price. A bid for the entire company at this price would have valued Coles Group at A$19.7 billion, well above the two KKR proposals announced in 2006.
In May 2007, Coles reported its slowest sales growth in at least seven years with continuing poor performance from Coles Supermarkets and Kmart.
On 2 July 2007, Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is one of Australia’s largest public companies and one of Australia's largest retailers. Its headquarters are in Perth, Western Australia....
announced it intended to buy Coles Group for $22 billion, the largest take-over bid in Australia. The sale was expected to be completed in October 2007.
In August 2007, Wesfarmers foreshadowed its plans for the restructuring of Coles Group following its anticipated takeover, including investment of A$5 billion, establishing three separate divisions (including a combined Bunnings/Officeworks "big box" retailing division), the possible sale of Kmart, and the exit of Coles Group from its head office base at Tooronga.
The independent expert report published in October 2007, advising shareholders preparatory to the proposed sale was critical of the culture within Coles Group.
At a shareholder meeting in Melbourne on 7 November 2007, shareholders voted overwhelmingly with 99.25% approval of the sale of Coles Group to Wesfarmers. The Scheme of Arrangement between Coles Group and its shareholders was approved by the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
on 9 November 2007, the last day Coles Group shares traded on the Australian Securities Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
. The Scheme was implemented on 23 November 2007, ending Coles Group as a company with its subsidiaries merged into Wesfarmers' business structure.
Everyday Needs Businesses
The Everyday Needs businesses encompassed retail outlets that were frequently shopped at by customers including supermarkets, liquor and general merchandise.- Coles SupermarketsColes SupermarketsColes Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
: the second-largest supermarket chain in Australia. - BI-LOBI-LO (Australia)BI-LO is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers . Once a chain of 180 outlets, most BI-LO supermarkets were re-branded as Coles Supermarkets during 2006 and 2007. In October 2008, Coles stated it was looking to create a new chain to replace the remaining BI-LO stores...
: a budget supermarket chain. Until 2001, Bi-Lo traded as Newmart in Western Australia. In August 2006 Coles Group began to re-brand BI-LO stores as Coles Supermarket or divested them, but this activity was placed on hold in 2007 pending the sale of Coles Group. - LiquorlandLiquorLANDLiquorland is an Australian liquor chain owned by Wesfarmers. Liquorland is one of three brands within Wesfarmers' Coles division., along with fine-wine focussed Vintage Cellars and the larger discount format 1st Choice Liquor Superstore...
: Liquor chain, with some outlets attached to Coles or Bi-Lo Supermarkets, but run separately. Also operates some hotels via subsidiary. - Vintage CellarsVintage CellarsVintage Cellars is an Australian liquor chain owned by Wesfarmers and is positioned at the higher end of the market compared with the Liquorland and 1st Choice Liquor Superstore, Wesfarmers' other liquor brands...
: Liquor chain with an orientation towards fine wines - 1st Choice Liquor Superstore: Liquor chain comprising larger stores which compete more directly with Woolworths'Woolworths LimitedWoolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
Dan Murphy'sDan Murphy'sDan Murphy's is an Australian big box liquor supermarket chain owned by Woolworths Limited, who also owns BWS, another liquor chain with smaller stores.-History:... - Pick 'n Pay HypermarketPick 'n Pay HypermarketPick 'n Pay hypermarkets are a chain of hypermarkets in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia owned by Wesfarmers. There are two stores located at Aspley and Sunnybank Hills...
: two "hypermarkets" located in suburbs of BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. - KmartKmart AustraliaKmart Australia Limited is a discount department store chain owned by Wesfarmers. It operates 172 stores in Australia and 15 in New Zealand, with its head office located in Mulgrave, Victoria. Wesfarmers uses the Kmart name under licence from Sears Holdings Corporation.-History:Kmart Australia...
: chain of discount department stores, originally 51% owned by the US S.S. Kresge Company (later KmartKmartKmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
Corporation), but bought out by Coles Myer in 1994. Kmart also operates the automotive servicing brand Kmart Tyre & Auto. Until 2006, Kmart also operated a Garden Super centre brand. In August 2006 Coles Group announced that Kmart would be replaced by the Coles brand, but this plan was deferred in March 2007 pending the sale of Coles Group. - Coles ExpressColes ExpressColes Express is an Australian chain of fuel and convenience stores. The business venture and corresponding fuel discount offer was launched in July 2003 in response to the similar offer by rival Woolworths Limited some years earlier, proving attractive to shoppers.Coles Myer purchased the retail...
: re branded ShellRoyal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
service stations offering convenience stores and fuel products. Before Coles Myer Ltd took over Shell service stations, Coles Express was the name used for smaller, inner-urban Coles supermarkets which are now known as Coles Central. - Kmart Tyre & Auto: car servicing outlets. All ShellRoyal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
Autoserv outlets attached to Shell petrol stations were bought by the Kmart Tyre & Auto business in early 2006.
Other brands
- OfficeworksOfficeworksOfficeworks is a chain of Australian office supplies stores which was established in the early 1990s by Coles Myer...
: Large office supplies network, stocking stationery, office and school supplies, computer hardware and software, and office furniture. - Harris TechnologyHarris TechnologyHarris Technology Pty Ltd. is an Australian electronics retailer owned and operated by Officeworks, a subsidiary of Wesfarmers.-Early history:...
: Computer hardware and software reseller with strong online presence, oriented towards corporate customers. - TargetTarget (Australia)Target Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian department store chain owned by Wesfarmers . It operates 172 Target stores and 119 Target Country stores making 291 combined stores with its head office located in North Geelong, Victoria. It sells clothing, cosmetics, toys, homewares, electrical and...
: chain of discount department stores whose name and logo was originally purchased from Target CorporationTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
by Myer Emporium LimitedMyerMyer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
in 1968. Target Australia is otherwise not related to Target CorporationTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
. Operates in some regional areas as "Target Country", smaller stores which were previously branded "Fosseys". - On 15 April 2009 Coles sold the Pharmacy Direct business it had acquired in August 2006 to RX Direct Pty Ltd (a company owned by the Pharmacist Members of the Terry White Chemists Advisory Board). Pharmacy Direct dealt predominantly in products ordered online, via mail, or phone in Australia. With current Australian legislation preventing chains from operating pharmacies within supermarkets, Coles had acquired Pharmacy Direct in 2006 to establish a presence in this market.
- Coles Group is a partner with National Australia BankNational Australia BankNational Australia Bank is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation and customers. NAB is ranked 17th largest bank in the world measured by market capitalisation...
in Loyalty Pacific, which operates the FlyBuys loyalty program. - Coles SuperCentres were planned to open from September 2007, with many sourced from either existing Pick 'n Pay Hypermarkets or former 'Super K' stores, which were divided in the 1990s into separate Coles and Kmart stores. However these plans were put on hold in March 2007 pending the sale of Coles Group. Then in August 2007, Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder said super centres would almost certainly not be part of the Wesfarmers approach after taking over Coles Group.
Coles Group Limited was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
Australian Stock Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
with the code CGJ, which references back to its first ever registered company name of G.J. Coles & Coy Proprietary Limited. The company has in the past been listed on the NYSE (de-listed 6 January 2006), the New Zealand Stock Exchange (de-listed 1989) and The London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
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