Aussie Farmers Direct has launched The General Store, an online-only supermarket stocking grocery brands at low prices, with hundreds of bulk value lines not available in current supermarkets.

Launching in Melbourne ahead of a planned national rollout, Aussie Farmers said the combined product range from Aussie Farmers Direct and The General Store will far exceed the average Aldi or IGA, and provide real competition to Coles and Woolworths.

Aussie Farmers Direct CEO Keith Louie said the new platform complements the hundreds of all-Aussie fresh produce lines offered through Aussie Farmers Direct, and addresses a long-standing customer need.

“Our customers love getting their fresh produce delivered from smaller Australian farmers and local suppliers direct to their door. But until now they still needed to visit the supermarket for all their pantry staples. The General Store solves that problem,” he said.

“Now shoppers can visit one website, shop into one basket from Aussie Farmers Direct and The General Store, and receive one doorstep delivery. No more trudging to the supermarket.”

Louie said the combined offers gave Australian food and grocery manufacturers an alternative path to market that bypasses Coles and Woolworths, and gave prominence to Australian-grown and Australian-made products.

“With Aussie Farmers Direct and The General Store becoming the third pillar in the online grocery market, local grocery manufacturers are no longer in the grip of an online supermarket duopoly.”

“Every week we’ll have low prices across The General Store, as well as hundreds of Specials” Mr Louie said.

“And unlike Coles and Woolworths there is no minimum spend, and we offer free delivery for all but the smallest orders.”

The General Store will donate 10 per cent of the profits from imported products to the Aussie Farmers Foundation, which supports charities and grassroots community groups making a real difference in rural Australia

“Sadly, many packaged groceries are no longer made in Australia from Australian ingredients, but they are necessities we all need to buy,” said Louie.

“We want to make it easy for customers to make informed purchasing decisions. So from corn flakes to canned soup and toilet tissue to toothpaste, the ‘Australian-ness’ of all products sold in The General Store is clear, and in our aisles you can always sort by ‘Australian first’.”

Read more insight and analysis about this new challenge to Australia’s major supermarkets in the next edition of Inside Retail Weekly.

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