Coles has responded to the AFGC's comments about its 'aggressive promotion of private label products', saying the organisation had selectively used data to justify a "tired political campaign".
“Unfortunately, the AFGC has ignored the detailed Deloitte analysis about why and what has happened in Coles’ supermarkets and the Deloitte conclusion because it does not suit its story,” said Coles.
“The Deloitte report concludes: '…effective choice in the store is still high and consumers may be better off overall'.”
John Durkan, Coles merchandise director, claimed the AFGC deliberately misrepresented the Deloitte report and that it had "ignored the facts to maintain a tired campaign against the major supermarkets".
“It is about time the AFGC became a more professional body that actually represents all of its members, many of whom have seen substantial sales gains from products sold at Coles.”
Coles said it still offers plenty of choice for consumers with 55,000 products in its stores, which it claims is far more than many of its competitors and still at historically high levels.
Additionally, it said branded products still make up 75 per cent of all products sold in its stores and as many private label products have been deleted as branded products.
