{"id":672546,"date":"2026-05-15T12:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/672546\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T12:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:33:12","slug":"quiet-shift-taking-place-in-aussie-supermarkets-as-clear-trend-takes-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/672546\/","title":{"rendered":"Quiet shift taking place in Aussie supermarkets as ‘clear trend’ takes over"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quiet shift is taking place in supermarket aisles across Australia<\/a> as a direct result of mounting cost-of-living<\/a> pressures.<\/p>\n

More shoppers are swapping familiar big-name brands for cheaper home-brand alternatives<\/a> to save on their groceries, with private label items<\/a> now making up more than 30 per cent of sales, according to Coles<\/a>\u2019 latest quarterly report.<\/p>\n

Retail expert Gary Mortimer told Yahoo News Australians are increasingly \u201cshopping down\u201d, with consumers embracing supermarket-owned products at record levels.<\/p>\n

\"Coles<\/p>\n

Supermarket-owned brands, like Coles pictured here, are becoming increasingly popular with shoppers. Source: Yahoo News Australia<\/p>\n

(Yahoo News Australia)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve really seen this shift in Australia around the acceptance of home brand or private label products,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go back 10 or 15 years, it was around 18 per cent of sales. Now it’s over 30 per cent, so one in three products now are home brand or private label products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mortimer credited supermarket giant Aldi for helping to normalise homebrand products<\/a> by offering low-cost alternatives to major brands.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the costs of living have gotten tighter, people are looking for cheaper options,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that’s one of the clear trends we’ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

New study finds similar trends across all supermarkets<\/p>\n

A new report released this week found homebrand products are now regular staples in Aussie households, with confidence in the budget-friendly alternative skyrocketing in the past year.<\/p>\n

The research, from Shop! ANZ and Vypr<\/a>, found that shoppers aged between 25 and 34 trusted the cheaper brands more than older generations.<\/p>\n

There were also categories where consumers were more flexible with their choices, and some areas where trusted brands still came out on top.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Household essentials and pantry staples were the most common categories where homebrands were trusted. Source: Yahoo News Australia<\/p>\n

(Yahoo News Australia)<\/p>\n

The data found Aussies were most comfortable buying homebrand products in:<\/p>\n

Household essentials (70 per cent)<\/p>\n

Pantry staples (63 per cent)<\/p>\n

But the areas they preferred to pay more for specific items were:<\/p>\n

This came down to shoppers finding quality and better taste more important than saving a few dollars.<\/p>\n

Shop! ANZ General Manager Carla Bridge said the report shows shoppers are becoming more value-conscious and putting pressure on premium brands to be more competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralian shoppers are not walking away from branded products, but they\u2019re asking more of them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

Coles shoppers in line for $1,300 refunds as supermarket found guilty in court ruling<\/p>\n

Woolworths shopper’s warning after ‘surprising’ $35 checkout mistake<\/p>\n

Coles $7 meat packet detail sparks urgent warning<\/p>\n

\u201cThe days of assuming brand loyalty will carry a product from the shelf to basket are over. Consumers are weighing up price, quality, trust and category relevance at the point of purchase, and if the premium offering is not clear, they are increasingly prepared to switch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is creating a more competitive grocery environment for both retailers and suppliers,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Beauty products were one of the areas where consumers preferred to spend a little more on a branded item. Source: Yahoo News Australia<\/p>\n

(Yahoo News Australia)<\/p>\n

Mortimer said another noticeable shift was Aussies moving away from expensive red meat<\/a> and toward poultry instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we’ve already seen that shift. We\u2019ve seen people move away from beef and, particularly, lamb towards chicken and other poultry. It’s so much cheaper,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re doing a Sunday roast with a chicken rather than a lamb roast. We’re doing a chicken curry rather than a beef curry.\u201d<\/p>\n

And fast-food chains are making similar decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re even seeing a little bit of that with the likes of McDonald’s<\/a> and Hungry Jack’s moving into chicken burgers to offset the cost of beef burgers,\u201d Mortimer said.<\/p>\n

McDonald\u2019s recently launched its Dunked Korean Sticky BBQ Chicken Range<\/a>, while Hungry Jack\u2019s has pushed multiple chicken products out in the past year, including fried chicken burgers, grilled chicken burgers and saucy ribs.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve also expanded snack wraps and spicy chicken options.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n