Strong e-commerce growth that’s what Coles says contributed to its stronger than expected growth for the first quarter.
Its revenue rose to AUS$10.55 billion in the fiscal first quarter.
Last quarter, Coles also posted a surge in revenue from its groceries business to the highest level recorded since 2020.
This is while consumers are grappling with the high cost of living crisis.
This quarter, Coles is attributing it also to winter and spring campaigns and promotional activities.
The supermarket sales grew by 3.5% to AUS$9.51 billion, though liquor sales remained flat at $851 million.
E-commerce and customer engagement
Same-day delivery and next-day delivery boosted sales on e-commerce platforms.
During the 2024 financial year, the total e-commerce sales of the Coles Group came to around AUS$3.7 billion.
According to Reuters, the grocer reported slightly weaker-than-expected online sales, similar to Woolworths.
Coles now has an electric truck
The same week Coles released the quarter results, it also announced that it has an electric prime mover truck to deliver groceries to hundreds of stores in Victoria.
It’s believed to be the country’s first retailer to have this type of truck added to its transportation network.
“In partnership with Linfox, the Electric Vehicle (EV) will save more than 65 tonnes of CO21 emissions per year compared to a regular diesel-powered prime mover, which is the equivalent of removing 15 cars from the road,” says sustainability officer Matt Swindells.
The EV currently makes about 25 deliveries from its distribution center in Victoria each week to hundreds of stores across the state.
The EV is quieter to run, reducing noise pollution during store deliveries for customers in residential areas. It requires no idling, eliminating further emissions and fuel consumption.
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About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
