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Bi-Lo was an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. Once a chain of 180 outlets, Bi-Lo stores were progressively re-branded as
Coles Supermarkets Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates ...
from 2006, or closed. On 30 June 2017, the final store in
Shailer Park Shailer Park is a suburb in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , Shailer Park had a population of 11,759 people. Geography Shailer Park is a suburb of mainly middle class residential areas, and sits on hilly terrain between the ...
, Queensland closed.


History

Bi-Lo was established by John, Peter and David Weeks in South Australia in 1979. The first stores opened at Stirling and Aldgate in South Australia's Adelaide Hills region after being converted from hardware outlets, followed by the acquisition of a third store at
Murray Bridge Murray Bridge may refer to. *Murray Bridge, South Australia, a city and locality *Rural City of Murray Bridge, a local government area in South Australia *Corporate Town of Murray Bridge, a former local government area in South Australia See also ...
. Coles Myer cited that by 1979, Bi-Lo was South Australia's cheapest grocer. Bi-Lo was a leader in adopting new technology and by 1983 operated product scanning systems in all stores, the first grocery chain store in Australia to complete scanning across all stores in the group. By 1987, Bi-Lo was operating 28 supermarkets in South Australia and generating one third of metropolitan Adelaide’s supermarket sales, when it was acquired by
Coles Myer Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of li ...
, which also purchased the 34-store Shoeys discount supermarket chain in New South Wales (subsequently renamed as Bi-Lo). Bi-Lo later expanded into Queensland and Victoria. In December 1994, Bi-Lo opened its first Mega Frrresh store at
Greenacres Greenacres can refer to: *Greenacres, California, a town in the Central Valley (United States) *Harold Lloyd Estate, 'Greenacres', the legendary 1920s Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills, California (United States) *Greenacres, Florida, town in th ...
, South Australia, in response to its then chief competitor
Franklins Franklins was an Australian discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It sold the "No Frills" home brand generic products. In 2011 the chain was ...
"Big Fresh" concept. In 1996, Bi-Lo acquired six Newmart supermarkets in Western Australia although the Newmart name was retained due to its strong brand identification. In 1998, Bi-Lo purchased three Northern Territory supermarkets in
Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
and
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
. Bi-Lo/Newmart opened nine new stores and completed 23 refurbishments in 2000, and opened 26 more stores and completed 11 refurbishments in 2001. The last Newmart stores in Western Australia to open before the chain was absorbed into Coles Supermarkets were at Garden City, Booragoon (October 2000) and Ocean Keys, Clarkson (July 2001). Newmart Stores in Garden City, Collie, Stirling Central,
Noranda Noranda may refer to: *Noranda (mining company) * Noranda Caldera, an Archean caldera in Canada *Noranda, Western Australia Noranda is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Bayswater. The suburb was named in 1977 after N ...
and Ocean Keys became an Action Supermarkets outlet at the same time, then became a
Woolworths Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...
outlet. In 2002, Bi-Lo acquired and converted 15 Franklins sites, in New South Wales (Warilla Grove, Campbelltown - now Coles, Hillsdale - closed 2003, Mount Druitt - closed 2005, Shellharbour, Lavington,
Thirroul Thirroul () is a northern seaside suburb of the city of Wollongong, Australia. Situated between Austinmer and Bulli, it is approximately 13 kilometres north of Wollongong, and 73 km south of Sydney. It lies between the Pacific Ocean and ...
), Queensland ( Kawana, Capalaba - Closed 2007 reopened as Coles 2008,
Hope Island Hope Island may refer to: Places Antarctica * Hope Island (Graham Land), an island on d'Urville Island * Nadezhdy Island (Hope Island) Australia * Hope Island, Queensland, a suburb of Gold Coast City * Hope Island (Tasmania) * Hope Islands (Q ...
, Loganholme), Victoria ( Southland, Waverley Gardens - closed 2004,
Lalor Lalor is an Irish surname derived from the Irish ''Ó Leathlobhair'', from ''leath-'' “leper; weak, ailing person”. Notable people with the surname include: * Denis Lalor, athlete * Francis Ramsey Lalor (1856–1929), politician * John Lalor ...
, Broadmeadows) and South Australia (
Unley Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...
- closed 2005). Around 820 former Franklins employees were offered positions at Bi-Lo. Bi-Lo also opened 7 stores and a Bi-Lo Discount Petrol site at Narrandera, New South Wales. In August of that year, all Newmart Supermarkets operated by Bi-Lo in Western Australia were transferred to the management of Coles Supermarkets. One Newmart Supermarket located in
Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
, Western Australia was rebadged as Coles, subsequently closing in September 2017. In 2003, Bi-Lo relaunched with the slogan "Why Pay More". In July 2006, Coles Myer CEO John Fletcher announced a strategy to progressively re-brand Bi-Lo, Kmart,
First Choice Liquor First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
,
Liquorland LiquorLand (sometimes referred to as Liquorland) and Henry's Beer, Wine & Spirits (sometimes shortened to Henry's) are franchises of independently owned bottle shops around New Zealand, operated by Foodstuffs. The stores sell a range of beer, w ...
and Theo's under the Coles banner. Bi-Lo supermarkets were to be re-branded as Coles supermarkets, with others changing to other Coles Group businesses. Coles planned to keep some Bi-Lo lines in its re-branded stores. Re-branding Bi-Lo stores began later in 2006 and had been expected to be completed by mid-2007. A small number of stores were to be re-branded Coles Discount Grocery where a Coles Supermarket already existed in the same complex (for example, at
Westfield Fountain Gate Westfield Fountain Gate is a super-regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It is the second largest shopping centre in Australia by floor area. However, it is the largest shopping ...
). However, Westfield Knox, and Northcote Shopping Centre have two Coles Supermarkets in their proximity which were former Bi-Lo sites, and they still operate to this day. Some stores, such as Bi-Lo Arkaba in South Australia, were originally Coles Supermarkets before being re-branded to Bi-Lo in the late 1990s. Some Bi-Lo stores were re-branded to Coles Supermarkets, despite Coles already existing in the same shopping centre (like Northcote Plaza and Ingle Farm Shopping Centre, where there are two Coles stores). However, Coles Group announced in March 2007 it was "pausing" the re-branding of Bi-Lo stores to Coles, following the poor results of the 129 stores re-branded thus far. Market analysts commented that the conversion program was unsuccessful due to Coles' transforming of stores in affluent areas first, the replacement of Bi-Lo's budget items with more expensive equivalents, and the removal of trademark budget meat packs. Reflecting on the failed conversion strategy later in 2007, Coles chief operating officer Mick McMahon stated "a strategy you can't execute is probably not the right strategy". In October 2008, Coles stated it was planning to create a discount supermarket chain to replace the remaining Bi-Lo stores. In 2009, Coles stated it would sell eight of the remaining Bi-Lo stores to rival chain Foodworks. Further stores were closed or marked for closure due to poor performance and small store size, including Armidale and Merimbula. At its peak, Bi-Lo had more than 180 stores and employed 13,600 people. By March 2009, only 48 stores remained, largely in NSW and Queensland. At the end of December 2014, that number had decreased to six stores. As at March 2016 with the closure of Toombul and Alderley (both later reopened as Coles) in Brisbane and as of April 2016 Coles take over of the
Lisarow Lisarow () is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located north-northeast of Gosford's central business district via the Pacific Highway. It is part of the local government area. The area was largely rural un ...
store in New South Wales left only one store remaining at Loganholme, Queensland. This store closed on 30 June 2017, ending the Bi-Lo brand after 38 years in operation.


Advertising

The tag-line "Extra Value for You" was used between 1999 and 2003, which was replaced by "Why Pay More!" Between 2000 and 2005, TV cook Iain Hewitson was the face of Bi-Lo and Newmart supermarkets across Australia, with Bi-Lo sponsoring and supplying his cooking shows. In late 2005, a stylised Bi-Lo docket was adopted as Bi-Lo's mascot and its use replaced Hewitson. At this time, the tag-line "It's the total of the docket that counts!" was used. In 2003, a campaign recording customer answers to "Why do you shop at Bi-Lo?" was used. In 2007 amid the Coles conversion, an election-style campaign also featured the stylised Bi-Lo Docket with the tag "Reduce the total of your docket!" Former slogans included "We Do, You Do" and "Cheap Groceries".


Formats


Bi-Lo Mega Frrresh

In response to its main competitor
Franklins Franklins was an Australian discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It sold the "No Frills" home brand generic products. In 2011 the chain was ...
launching "Franklins Big Fresh" in the early 1990s, Bi-Lo launched its Mega Frrresh brand at
Greenacres Greenacres can refer to: *Greenacres, California, a town in the Central Valley (United States) *Harold Lloyd Estate, 'Greenacres', the legendary 1920s Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills, California (United States) *Greenacres, Florida, town in th ...
, South Australia in 1994. Like Franklins Big Fresh, it combined discount shopping with a market-style atmosphere.


Newmart

Bi-Lo purchased six Newmart supermarkets in 1996 for A$16 million. Newmart was a small independent discount chain in Perth, Western Australia with a similar format to Bi-Lo: discount groceries, bulk foods, extensive fresh produce, meat and delicatessen sections. Bi-Lo was unable to re-brand the stores since Foodland Associated Limited traded stores in Western Australia under the Bi-Lo name at the time. The Newmart chain grew to 18 stores by 2002, had its own website until 2006, and like Bi-Lo, launched the slogan "Extra Value for You" in 1999. Started in 1987 by
Fred Fairthorne Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rodr ...
of
Farmer Jack's A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farme ...
fame, as an independent discount supermarket with three stores in
Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth C ...
, Floreat and Kardinya by 1992 to the West Australian Independent Grocers buying group - which also included Farmer Jack's,
Advantage Advantage may refer to: * Advantage (debate), an argument structure in competitive debate * Mechanical advantage, in engineering, the ratio of output force to input force on a system * Advantage of terrain, in military use, a superiority in elev ...
. MAC's and Charlie Carter's - its home brand products were "Black & Gold". A further three stores were opened between 1992 and the sale to Coles and its reincarnation into a Western Australian version of Coles' South Australian-based budget brand Bi-Lo in 1996, with the introduction of Bi-Lo branded products and the well-recognised Newmart tick logo rejigged to match Bi-Lo's yellow logo, among other things being refitted at Newmart to match Bi-Lo's national image, retaining its name in the process. In 2002, Coles assumed management of Newmart, immediately re-branding seven stores as Coles supermarkets, before discontinuing the Newmart brand in 2003, selling five stores to Action Supermarkets); all five Action supermarkets were later bought out and became Woolworths outlets. These stores were located at Noranda, Stirling Central, Booragoon, Clarkson and Collie. Coles Supermarket in
Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
, Western Australia still contained Newmart awnings, aisle signage and checkouts up until the store closed on 22 September 2017. The site was then immediately refurbished to become a
Spud Shed SpudshedSpud is a colloquial term for potato in English. is an independent supermarket chain in Western Australia. The store was founded by Tony Galati, and forms part of the family-owned Galati Group. The chain consists of a total of 17 sto ...
. The Woolworths store at Stirling Central Shopping Centre in Westminster, Western Australia still contained Newmart awnings, checkouts and security (loss prevention) buzzers on stands at the end of the checkouts until its refurbishment in 2018.


References


External links


Bi-Lo (archived)
{{Supermarkets in Australia Defunct supermarkets of Australia Retail companies established in 1979 1979 establishments in Australia Retail companies disestablished in 2017 2017 disestablishments in Australia Coles Group Australian grocers