According to a survey carried out in the United States in 2025, ** percent of respondents aged 55 and older stated that they experience higher prices when buying dairy products at the grocery store. For those aged between 18 and 34, ** percent stated experiencing a price hike in those typed of products.

According to a survey conducted in Canada in 2023, close to 52 percent of respondents from Nova Scotia believed grocery chain price gouging to be the main reason food prices have been rising in Canada. Conversely, close to 22 percent of those from Quebec believed the same.

Supermarkets have maintained stable volume-driven business strategies amid a pricing environment that has been in the spotlight. Conflict in the Middle East, avian flu outbreaks and other inflationary pressures have driven prices up, with many stores passing on these costs to consumers. While consumers are paying more for groceries and upstream suppliers are seeing their margins shrink, supermarkets Coles and Woolworths have maintained relatively stable profit margins, among the highest in the world. The continued expansion of Aldi and Amazon has forced the two established industry giants to shift gears recently to remain price-competitive on both the physical store and online service fronts, launching short-term price discounting initiatives. These supermarket giants also rely on loyalty programs and promotions. Coles and Woolworths have displayed interest in data analytics, strengthening their relationships with analytics data giants like Palantir to optimise their marketing and operational processes. The ACCC's landmark supermarkets inquiry, while not finding evidence of price gouging, identified 20 key recommendations that would ensure a more sustainable market and avoid oligopolistic exploitation. Supermarket and grocery revenue rose significantly following the COVID-19 outbreak. A combination of panic buying, along with the suspension of many specials and promotions in supermarkets, boosted grocery turnover at the beginning of the period, spiking revenue for the two years through 2020-21. This high benchmark at the start of the period has resulted in an industry correction and an annualised revenue contraction of 0.4% to $144.3 billion over the five years through 2025-26. Revenue is estimated to climb 0.4% in 2025-26, reflecting the price-driven industry growth that falling tobacco sales have offset. Supermarkets and grocery stores are set to perform well, with industry revenue slated to climb at an annualised 1.5% through 2030-31 to $155.6 billion. Population growth will remain a key growth factor that stores rely on, as many continue a volume-driven business approach to generating revenue. Should the transparency-related recommendations from the ACCC's inquiry be implemented, some price-driven growth may be curtailed. Eventually, when inflationary pressures subside and consumer sentiment returns to a positive level, supermarkets and grocers will be well-positioned to take advantage of consumer appetite for value-added and premium goods. Strong growth in online sales is set to continue.

In the year to March 2025, price increases were recorded across all grocery product categories in Australia, except for dairy and related products. Fruit and vegetables saw an annual increase of 6.6 percent. Meat and seafood products saw an annual growth of above four percent.

In 2023, the value of grocery retail sales from supermarkets in Australia exceeded *** billion Australian dollars. This marked an increase from the previous year, in which grocery retail sales were valued at just shy of *** billion Australian dollars. Which supermarkets dominate Australia’s grocery landscape? Australia’s supermarket and grocery sector is highly concentrated, with the top four companies, Woolworths, Coles, German company Aldi, and IGA (Metcash) holding over ** percent of the country’s grocery retailer market share. The top two supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles, have extensive retail networks across the country, with around ***** stores in the Woolworths network as of May 2025, including Woolworths Supermarkets, Ampol Woolworths, and EG Ampol locations. Inquiry into Australia’s grocery sector Going into 2024, the price of groceries was one of the most pressing financial issues for many Australian households, with almost ** percent of consumers surveyed in April 2024 saying they felt grocery prices had increased compared to the previous year. Only ** percent of Australian consumers indicated in the same survey that, in their view, grocery products were priced fairly by supermarkets. Following price gouging allegations against major supermarket chains in the country, including Australia’s supermarket duopoly, Woolworths and Coles, the Australian Consumer Competition Commission (ACCC) launched its inquiry into the country’s grocery retail sector in January 2024. The inquiry endeavors to highlight key issues across the supermarket sector and introduce improved regulatory framework and pricing mechanisms, enabling better market access for smaller grocery retailers and discounters, as well as improving customer, supply chain contributor, and farmer satisfaction.

Supermarket giant Woolworths Group had the highest presence across Australia’s leading supermarket and convenience store chains as of May 2025, with around ***** locations across its network, including Woolworths Supermarkets, Ampol Woolworths, and EG Ampol locations. Its grocery retail rival, Coles Group, came in second, with over ***** locations nationwide, encompassing Coles Supermarkets and Coles Express. American convenience store chain 7-Eleven also makes its mark, with an extensive number of stores in Australia. European supermarkets, Aldi and Spar, have also expanded their networks over the past two decades, slowly eating away at Woolworths, Coles, and Metcash’s grocery retail market share. ACCC investigates Australia’s grocery retail market Australia’s supermarket scene is oligopolistic; the top four companies, Woolworths, Coles, Metcash (IGA), and Aldi, control over ** percent of the country’s grocery retail market share, with around ** percent held by Woolworths and Coles alone. In 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) began its inquiry into the country’s supermarket sector to review pricing and competitive practices following price gouging allegations against Australia’s leading grocery retailers. Alongside the ACCC investigation, consumer advocacy group CHOICE started to create government-funded price transparency and comparison reports, such as average grocery basket price evaluations, to deliver in-depth insights to customers to help them save money amid excessive price increases. In March 2025, the ACCC's review concluded, with its key recommendations encompassing publishing requirements for major supermarkets regarding pricing, promotions, shrinkflation, and loyalty program benefits to offer more transparency to consumers, as well as curb misleading promotional tactics. Nonetheless, the ACCC’s findings were inconclusive on whether price gouging was taking place and noted that profitability was not prohibited. How have Australia’s consumers responded to grocery price inflation? According to a 2024 survey, around ** percent of Australian consumers perceive the pricing of groceries and related products as unfair, with almost ***** in ** expressing that they felt these products had continued to become costlier since 2023. Convenience, familiarity with a particular store’s layout, and collecting reward points were the key reasons to shop exclusively at a supermarket chain among Australian consumers in a recent survey. Nonetheless, as grocery costs across the country climb, several consumers' grocery retailer loyalties are being tested. Consumers increasingly shop across various stores or switch to cheaper brands to save money and take advantage of price promotions.