Opinion: Rethinking the broken grocery competition model

26 May 2025

“Could community-owned supermarkets deliver fairer food prices to regional Australians? New research suggests they may be the solution to a broken system.

When the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released its highly anticipated inquiry into supermarkets earlier this year, it confirmed what many Australians already know: Outside our capital cities, choice is severely limited.

But in a move that could disrupt the status quo, the regulator has backed a bold rethink of how food is sold in these underserved areas.

The watchdog’s recommendation followed a submission from Monash Business School’s Digital Lab and Mutual Value Lab, developed in collaboration with the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM).

Drawing on new economic modelling and case research, the team’s submission argues consumer-owned co-operatives are a viable, yet overlooked, solution to regional Australia’s food affordability and access challenges.

So, could this model help balance a grocery sector dominated by two giants?

The authors of the submission, Digital Lab director Chengsi Wang and Mutual Value Lab director Paul Thambar, believe it can.

Read the full article, Opinion: Rethinking the broken grocery competition model, in insideFMCG, 26 May 2025