Coles Group Limited (formerly Coles Myer Limited) is an Australian public company which operates numerous retail chains. It is Australia's second largest retailer, behind Woolworths Limited. The name change to Coles Group was approved by shareholders at the AGM in Sydney. The official name change took place on Monday, 27 November 2006. Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... Image File history File links Coles_Group_Limited_Logo. ... The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is the primary stock exchange in Australia. ... The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is the primary stock exchange in Australia. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Richard (Rick) Allert is a businessman in Australia, who is currently the Chairman of Coles Myer. ... A Chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Revenue is a U.S. business term for the amount of money that a company earns from its activities in a given period, mostly from sales of products and/or services to customers. ... ISO 4217 Code AUD User(s) Australia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island Inflation 3. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on a Web server, usually accessible via the Internet or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML, that is almost always accessible... Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. ... AGM is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: Absorbent glass mat AGM battery is a composition by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, dating from 1979 Air-to-ground missile American General Media Annual General Meeting Aorta-gonad-mesonephros Area General Manager Arithmetic-geometric mean Assistant GameMaster Association Genevoise...

Early History

Myer

Sidney Myer 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. Another Myer store was opened in 1908. In 1911 Myer bought a drapery store in Bourke St, Melbourne, which later became the flagship Myer store, the Myer Emporium. After establishing itself in Melbourne, Myer expanded to Adelaide (acquiring a shareholding in Marshall's department store in 1925- this company was renamed Myer SA Stores Ltd and its shares continued to be listed on the Adelaide Stock Exchange until Myer Emporium Ltd made a successful takeover bid in 1966) and later across Australia.
Myer is now owned by Newbridge Company. It was bought from Coles Myer in 2006 causing the name change to Coles Group. Myer Emporium. ...

Coles

Separately, in 1914, the first Coles "variety store" was opened in Melbourne. Coles was founded in 1914 by George Coles when he opened what was called the "Coles Variety Store" in Smith Street in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood. Expansion to more stores occurred and the chain was regarded as the leaders in providing value to Australian shoppers. Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Collingwood is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

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. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Balwyn North is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. ... Year 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) is the fourth largest retailer in the United States, behind Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, and Kroger. ... Burwood refers to these places in Australia: Burwood, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne Burwood, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney Burwood railway station in Melbourne This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Coles Group. ...

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. Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Coles Group. ... Action (Formerly Action Food Barns) was the third largest supermarket chain in Australia. ...

Merger

Both chains grew throughout Australia through growth and acquisitions, and both independently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is the primary stock exchange in Australia. ...

By the 1980s, Coles primarily operated supermarkets, whilst Myer operated a chain of mid-market department stores, 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. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) This Flagship Randalls store in Houston, Texas is an example of an upscale supermarket. ... The interior of a typical Macys department store. ... Target Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian company that operates over 350 Target department stores in its chain. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Previous Coles Group logo when it was known as Coles Myer

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

After the Merger

Officeworks is an Australian office stationery store, which was established in the early 1990s by Coles Myer. Officeworks is based on the US chain Office Depot, using their concept as a one stop office store. The first Officeworks opened in the inner city suburb of Richmond in Melbourne in June 1994. Its mid-1990s TV commercials were popular, including the Taking Care of Business theme and the Back to School Savings commercial. In 1994-1995 Officeworks opened more stores throughout Melbourne in Fitzroy, Chadstone and Ringwood. Officeworks now has more than 90 stores in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Office Depot (NYSE: ODP) is one of the worlds leading suppliers of office products and services. ... Richmond is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Chadstone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Ringwood Clocktower Ringwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of 4,119,190, and 151,920 in the City of Sydney, as of the 2006 census. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of 1. ... Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1. ... The Perth skyline viewed from the Swan River This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ...

In 1996, the group's Target and Fosseys (earlier "Coles Fosseys") operations merged, the chains now sharing many aspects. Also that year their first speciality store, Baby Target was born. Then in 1998, their second speciality store, Target Home opened. The next year, Fosseys became known as Target Country, and it's metropolitan stores were closed. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 2001 Target announced its first ever loss, to the sum of $43m. New senior management was put in place, and Target was repositioned away from being discount department store fiercely competing with stablemate Kmart, Woolworths Limited's Big W, Harris Scarfe and The Warehouse. Its new format was more like Myer, with a focus on "middle class" quality products - especially clothing and homewares. Kmart store at Kurralta Park in Adelaides western suburbs. ... Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. ... Big W is the second largest discount department store in Australia, with over 120 stores located nationwide. ... Harris Scarfes former logo A Harris Scarfe store in Tasmania Harris Scarfe Department Stores was founded in South Australia over 160 years ago in Rundle Mall, Adelaide. ... The Warehouse, (NZX: WHS) founded by Stephen Tindall in 1982, is the largest department store retailer operating in New Zealand. ...

In 1998, Myer open the first Megamart store, in Coorparoo, Queensland. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Coorparoo Primary School Coorparoo is a southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ...

Harris Technology was started by Ron Harris on 6th October 1986. After a trip to the USA it became apparent that the IT Retail market in Australia would be receptive to a Computer Superstore. Harris Technology opened their first Superstore in North Sydney under the Bayer Building, with a downstairs call centre. Harris Technology Pty Ltd. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

Coles Myer acquired Harris Technology on 1st April 1999. Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ...

Harris Technology has since expanded with Superstores in 5 states and a national website covering in excess of 25,000 line items (as of Aug 2003). The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ...

2001 saw Coles Myer announce plans to expand the Megamart chain of furniture and electrical stores. However, by 2005, Coles Myer announced plans to divest Megamart due to low profits. All stores stopped trading on 13 November. Out of the nine stores, six were bought by Harvey Norman while the remaining three are to remain closed. Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... welcome:: This is an article about items in a room. ... The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A Harvey Norman superstore in Australia. ...

Coles Myer sell-off

On Monday 13th of March, 2006, Coles Myer announced it would sell Myer to a consortium (including the Myer family, who hold a 5% stake), which is largely controlled by US private equity group Newbridge Capital, part of the Texas Pacific group. Texas Pacific also have interests in UK department store Debenhams and high-end US retailer Neiman Marcus. Management expertise from these retailers will be used to increase Myer's profitability. This sale was completed on the 2nd of June 2006 and full control has been handed over since. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Private equity is a broad term that refers to any type of equity investment in an asset in which the equity is not freely tradable on a public stock market. ... The Texas Pacific Group (commonly referred as TPG) is a private equity investment firm founded by David Bonderman, James Coulter and William Price in 1993. ... Debenhams plc (LSE: DEB) is a retailer with a chain of department stores based in the United Kingdom. ... Categories: Stub | Retail companies of the United States ...

With the sale of Myer, the parent company chose to rename as Coles Group Ltd, receiving shareholder approval to do so in November 2006.

Coles Group planned to rebrand its assorted holdings under various versions of the Coles name, with plans to have all of its holdings other than Officeworks and Target rebranded by late 2007. However, this planned was abandoned in March 2007 due to the proposed sale of Coles Group. [2]

Coles Group is to sell its businesses as either an entire package, or in 3 parts (Officeworks, Target and the remaining businesses Kmart, Coles, Bi-Lo, and liquor shops). [3] This comes after the board rejected an A$18 billion takeover proposal in 2006 [4] because CEO John Fletcher promised greater growth to shareholders than the price in KKR's first two non-binding proposals. Two-year advance profit guidance was subsequently revised downward by A$106m on February 23, 2007, which prompted the board to announce the sale process. [5] John Fletcher is the CEO of Coles Group, the biggest retailer in Australia. ...

On Tuesday 3rd of April, news broke that the ex-chairman of the board, and antagonist of the current board & management team, Solomon Lew, sold his 5.8% shareholding of the company. At the time, this 5.8% stake amounted to the largest share holding controlled by a single holder. A large portion of these shares were bought by Wesfarmers, which is believed to be part of a consortium of bidders that include Macquarie Bank, PEP and Permira. The share price at which the transaction took place is reported to be $16.47 per share, which at the time was a 2.2% premium to the market price. A bid for the entire company at this price would place an ultimate value of AU$19.7 billion; well above the two KKR proposals announced in 2006 (the highest of which valued the company at AU$18 billion). [6] Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) is one of Australia’s largest public companies, with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. ... Macquarie Bank Limited is an Australian merchant bank and financial services group, providing a broad range of products and services to investors, corporations and government. ... Permira is an international, private equity firm based in the United Kingdom. ...

On 2nd of July, Wesfarmers announced it intended to buy Coles Group for $22 billion, which would make it the largest take-over bid in Australia. The sale is expected to be completed in October 2007. [7] Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) is one of Australia’s largest public companies, with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. ...

Businesses

Everyday Needs Businesses

Proposed Coles logo and slogan

The Everyday Needs Businesses of Coles Group encompass the retail outlets that are frequently shopped at by customers; including supermarkets, liquor and general merchandise. The following brands are included under the Everyday Needs umbrella: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

• Coles Supermarkets: the second largest supermarket chain in Australia.
• Bi-Lo: a budget supermarket chain. Until 2001, Bi-Lo also had stores in Western Australia trading under the name Newmart. In August 2006 it was announced that all Bi-Lo stores would either be re branded as a Coles Supermarket or be divested by the end of 2006. This activity extended into 2007 but has been deferred until the sale of the Coles Group is finalised. All Victorian stores have been changed to Coles.
• Liquorland: bottle shops, some of which are attached to Coles or Bi-Lo Supermarkets, but are still run separately - i.e. have their own store manager and staff. The supermarket has nothing to do with the running or control of Liquorland. Liquorland also runs hotels, through its Liquorland Hotel Group subsidiary.
• Vintage Cellars Other trading entities within the Coles Liquor Group include Vintage Cellars, a more wine oriented store
• 1st Choice Liquor an attempt to counter the dominance of the Dan Murphy's chain of discount wine merchants.
• Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket: are huge superstores which sell everything from fresh fruit & vegetables, meat, dairy, bakery and deli items, groceries, clothing, electrical appliances, hardware, white goods, sporting goods, toys, gardening etc all under one roof. There are currently two stores both located in Brisbane at Sunnybank Hills and Aspley.
• Kmart: discount store. When opened in 1969 Kmart Australia was 51 percent owned by the US S.S. Kresge Company (later Kmart Corporation), but by 1994, Kmart Corporation had divested any remaining interest. Kmart also operates the Kmart Tyre and Auto brand, Australia's largest automotive servicing company. Until September 2006, Kmart also operated the Garden Super centre brand, but these stores were sold off and closed at the end of September. In August 2006 it was announced that the Kmart name would be replaced by the Coles brand by late 2007. However, this plan was deferred in March 2007 as Coles Group prepared to sell part or all of the company.
• Coles Express: re branded Shell service stations offering convenience stores with discounted 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 and Auto: car servicing outlets. All Shell Autoserv outlets attached to the re branded Shell petrol stations were bought by the Kmart Tyre and Auto business in early 2006.

Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Coles Group. ... BI-LO was a major supermarket chain based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Liquorland is a chain of shops in Australia that sell distilled and alcoholic beverages. ... A liquor store is a type of convenience store which specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages, especially in regions (e. ... Vintage Cellars is an Australian chain of shops owned by Coles Group. ... Vintage Cellars is an Australian chain of shops owned by Coles Group. ... Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. ... Pick N Pay hypermarkets are a chain of hypermarkets in Brisbane,Queensland,Australia owned by Coles Myer. ... Kmart store at Kurralta Park in Adelaides western suburbs. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... new Kmart logo Kmart Corporation was a US based corporation until it merged with Sears Holdings in November 2004. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset, for either financial or social goals. ... Typical Coles Express It should be possible to replace this fair use image with a free one. ... Royal Dutch Shell PLC is a multinational oil company (oil major) of British and Dutch origins. ...

Officeworks

• Officeworks: Big Box office supplies outlets.
• Harris Technology: Information Technologies reseller.

Officeworks is an Australian office supplies store, which was established in the early 1990s by Coles Myer. ... Harris Technology Pty Ltd. ...

Target

• Target: affordable discount department stores, including clothing, Manchester (linens), kitchenware, cosmetics, toys, electrical and electronics goods. "Target Country" is the result of re branding of a chain formerly known as "Fosseys", and operates in country towns with smaller stores selling a subset of the range. In 1968, Myer Emporium Limited purchased Australian rights to the Target name and logo. Target Australia is otherwise not related to Target U.S.A.

Target Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian company that operates over 350 Target department stores in its chain. ... Myer Emporium. ... This article is about the United States retail company. ... This article is about the United States retail company. ...

Other

• Pharmacy Direct: Pharmacy products predominantly ordered online, via mail, or phone in Australia. With current Australian legislation preventing chains from selling pharmacy products from within supermarkets themselves, Coles acquired Pharmacy Direct in late March, to ensure they have a presence in the market, should legislation change in their favour.
• Coles Group is also a partner, with the National Australia Bank, in Loyalty Pacific, a company which administers the FlyBuys loyalty program.

The National Australia Bank or nab (ASX: NAB, LSE: NAB, NYSE: NAB, TYO: 8637 ) colloquially the National or the NAB. The NAB is part of the NAB Group. ... FlyBuys card (Australia) FlyBuys is a prominent Australian loyalty program operated by Loyalty Pacific, a joint venture of Coles Group and National Australia Bank. ...

Future

• Coles SuperCentres were expected to be a group of superstores or hypermarkets opening from September 2007. Around 40 of these stores were expected to be formed from former 'Super K' stores, which were divided in the 1990s into separate Coles and Kmart stores. Pick 'n Pay Hypermarkets were also expected to become Coles SuperCentres. However these plan were put on hold in March 2007 as Coles Group is considering to sell all of the company in 3 main parts.[8]

Coles SuperCentres are expected to be a chain of hypermarkets opening in late 2007. ...

Corporate issues

Prior to the appointment of current CEO John Fletcher in 2001, the company's profitability and share price performance was spotty since the 1985 merger. Following his appointment, Coles enjoyed an initial turnaround that was reflected in the increasing share price from 2003 onwards.

The company has, in the past, tried a number of category killers of its own with mixed success. The Officeworks format was very successful, while World 4 Kids, a response to the entry of American giant Toys R Us into the Australian market, failed. The Megamart furniture and electrical discount stores were longer lived but never met expectations. All Megamart stores were closed in late 2005, with most being acquired by Harvey Norman, the company Megamart was intended to challenge.

In 2001 the Company appointed John Fletcher, formerly CEO of Brambles as new CEO. This was after a long period of boardroom infighting and several management changes. Early in his tenure, Fletcher engineered turnaround in the company's fortunes. His most notable changes involved the abolition of the shareholder discount card and the acquisition of the retail operations of Shell Australia. The discount card was seen to be cutting significantly into retail margins while providing little benefit to the company. It only encouraged shareholders to hold the minimum required number of shares to qualify for the card, complicating the company's share register. It was also unpopular with institutional investors as they saw their returns being eroded while obtaining no benefit from the card themselves.

The acquisition of the Shell outlets, which were re branded 'Coles Express' allowed Coles Group to counter the success of Woolworths' Plus discount petrol operation, which offered a discount on fuel for shopping at company stores. It was arguably a better offer in that Coles offered discounts on a broad range of Shell's 'superior' products, including Autogas (LPG) and Optimax, while Woolworths products were more generic. This forced Woolworths to tie up with Caltex to provide a recognised brand for their fuel offer.

In August 2005, Coles Myer called for expressions of interest in purchasing the perennially under performing Myer department store business. There was significant interest from both Australian and overseas investors, including the Myer family. On the 13th of March 2006 Coles Myer announced the sale of the Myer department store business and the Myer Melbourne CBD store to Newbridge Capital and the Myer family for A$1,400 million, a sale that was completed in June 2006. Myer reported EBIT of A$67.9 million for the 26 weeks ended 29 January 2006. Myer Emporium. ...

After the sale of Myer, the direction of the group turned to one of business consolidation. A presentation made by Fletcher in July 2006 outlined the group being moved into essentially three businesses: an 'everyday needs' business which includes food, liquor, fuel and general merchandise brands (comprising Coles, Kmart, Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, Coles Express); Officeworks; and Target. This direction caused a mostly negative reaction from investors, most of whom reportedly believing that such a significant change to the flagship supermarkets business would be too risky and cause an eventual decline in market share.

In August 2006, the board announced that it had been approached with a proposal to buy the company by a group of private equity companies led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). At the time, it was reported that the interested parties would only go ahead with the proposal if the board agreed to endorse it to shareholders. The initial proposal, at $14.50 per share, was rejected by the board with the reasoning that it both significantly undervalued the company, and was highly conditional - essentially giving free-reign over the company via a due diligence process, without any actual guarantee that the deal would go ahead. A second proposal was made in October 2006 at $15.25 per share, valuing the group at A$18.2b, also rejected for largely the same reasons. [9] Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (commonly referred to as KKR) is a New York City-based private equity firm that focuses primarily on late stage leveraged buyouts. ...

In September 2006, with the backdrop of the KKR proposal looming behind, Fletcher announced a cut of 2,500 employees from 'above-store' positions; meaning employees working within Coles' various head offices. This number is effectively one third of all head office employees. The job cuts were managed with the assistance of McKinsey & Co. McKinsey & Company is a privately owned management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management in large corporations and organizations. ...

In November 2006, the Managing Director of Supermarkets Merchandising, Peter Scott was dismissed from the company for an unspecified breach of the company's code of conduct.

On 23rd February 2007, the company announced a downgrade of expected earnings.[10] Therefore it is considering ownership options, including the possibility of a full sale of the business or a restructuring such as a demerger. Most analysts believe it will go for a sale as it tries to catch up to Woolworths 4.97% profit margin compared to its 4% profit margin. [11]. On 20th March 2007, Coles Group announced it was deferring its plans to rebrand Kmart under the Coles banner and create supercentres. It subsequently paused its conversion of Bi-Lo stores to Coles Supermarkets given the lack of success of this move. Demerger is the converse of a merger or acquisition. ... BI-LO is the name of several different supermarket chains around the world: BI-LO (Australia) BI-LO (United States) Bilo is also The retarded brother of Sacha Baron Cohens character Borat. ... Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Coles Group. ...

In May 2007, Coles reported its slowest sales growth in at least seven years with continuing poor performance from Coles Supermarkets and Kmart.[12]

Wesfarmers has entered into a joint venture with a private equity consortium to propose to buy Coles Group. Target and Officeworks would merge with Wesfarmers's other retail businesses, while Wesfarmers would own a joint 50/50 share of Coles Supermarkers with private equity. Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) is one of Australia’s largest public companies, with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. ... Wesfarmers (ASX: WES) is one of Australia’s largest public companies, with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. ...

Coles Group Limited is 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 (De listed ??). The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is the primary stock exchange in Australia. ... New York Stock Exchange (June 2003) The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world. ... New Zealand Exchange Limited (NZX) is the successor to many decades of a New Zealand stock exchange run as a non-profit body. ... The Source by Greyworld, in the new LSE building Paternoster Square. ...

References

• Coles Group Website

External links

• Coles Group website
• Coles Myer News Release: Strategic report
• Presentation documents: Outlines restructure