Last week the Mandurah Mail updated the public on Coles' proposal to takeover the current Progressive Supa IGA in Halls Head with a decision to be made by the ACCC next month.
Since then, we have had plenty of letters and comments against the proposal.
See some of them here:
Very disappointing if this goes ahead. I already have one Coles store in my suburb and don't want another one down the road. Coles, like Woolworths, continue to take away my choice by removing brands from their shelves and adding their own. I won't be shopping at Halls Head anymore and am quickly running out of alternatives. Guess when the two ogres have put everyone else out of business they can charge what they like and we'll have no choice at all.
V. O'Shaughnessy
I think it will be a loss to all who value variety and choice if IGA is taken over by Coles. I frequently shop at IGA at Halls Head, even though Coles and Woolworths are closer, because the two major supermarkets seem to have stopped stocking many brands only to replace such items with their own variation. When asked why they are not stocking certain items, they reply there is no demand. The irony of giving such a response to someone asking for the very item seems lost on the staff member. What they mean, I think, is that they do not have a very large demand for such items and therefore will not cater to small niche markets. I think the profit margin may be larger on their own brand products and that is a major factor in the decision to reduce the variety of brands on offer.
R Done
I am incensed at this latest bid to govern our shopping choices. I live equidistant from IGA and the Coles purpose-built store at Erskine. The distance to each being about one kilometre makes these stores only two kilometres apart, so there is absolutely no need for the second store other than to dominate the market. Similarly with the proposed Bunnings store which will adjoin. There is already a good Mitre 10 hardware store a few hundred metres away, the present Bunnings store is more than adequate, they have already reduced their checkout facilities to a minimum, especially to those old-fashioned people like me who use cash.
D Miller
I've shopped at IGA in Halls Head since 2002. The reason being to get away from Woolworths and Coles, especially when they are only using their own brand. Ugh. Now once again we are forced to lose independent growers who don't force home brands on us. There is already a Coles at Mandurah Forum. Why oh why do we need one at Halls Head? Please keep our IGA at Halls Head with brands we know and use.
E Hawthorn