Woolworths and Coles continue their dominance over the Australian supermarket sector, while ALDI takes out third spot for Aussie preference despite smaller Australian footprint.
Price wars and limited competition in Australia’s supermarket duopoly have long shaped Australian’s shopping choices and the battle for top spot. But as the debate surrounding Australia’s top supermarket continues, brand tracking platform, Tracksuit, has put Aussie’s supermarket preferences to the test.
Surveying over 4200 Australians in its inaugural ‘Brand Map of Australia’, Tracksuit has revealed Woolworths as the preferred supermarket in Australia, ranking in top position for 34% of the nation’s shoppers. Following closely is red rival, Coles (31%), reinforcing the stiff competition between the two brands locally.
However, the dominance of Australia’s two leading supermarket chains is challenged by third place winner, ALDI, who despite a significantly smaller footprint, ranked as the preferred brand for 19% of the nation.
National rankings
| National rank | Supermarket | National preference from sample of 4,288 |
| 1 | Woolworths | 34% |
| 2 | Coles | 31% |
| 3 | ALDI | 19% |
| 4 | IGA | 5% |
| 5 | Costco | 3% |
| 6 | Harris Farm | 2% |
| 7 | Friendly Grocer | 1% |
| Foodworks | 1% | |
| I don’t shop at supermarkets | 1% | |
| Other | 1% | |
Diving into shopping choices on a state-by-state level, the top three supermarket preferences across NSW and ACT, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia remain the same as the national order. The most notable difference is seen within Victoria, where Coles beats the competition (35%), with Woolworths (28%) and ALDI (20%) following behind.
When it comes to generational decisions at a national level, Woolworths leads as the preferred supermarket for younger Australians (33% of those aged 18-34) and those over 55 years of age (36%). Coles, takes top place for those aged between 35-54 (34%).
Overall national preference for brands like Harris Farm Markets, Friendly Grocer, Food Works and Costco is low. However, younger consumers (18-34) are significantly more likely to prefer these brands compared to the national average. This suggests these brands are resonating more strongly with younger consumers in the category.
Tracksuit co-founder and co-CEO Connor Archbold said: “While Woolworths’ and Coles’ positions as Australia’s top two supermarkets may not come as a surprise to many, the fact that ALDI is closing the gap in third place is pretty significant – especially when we compare its footprint in Australia.
“This definitely suggests things are shifting a bit for those top supermarkets. With everyone feeling the pinch of higher food prices, Woolies and Coles will need to make sure their brands are really hitting the mark for what people need. Building that trust and keeping customers loyal is going to be key for them to stay as the go-to supermarkets down the track.
“To really get a handle on this and make the most of it, digging into regional data could be a game-changer for any of these brands. That way, they can get a much clearer picture of exactly what’s influencing shopping choices in different areas, see where they’ve already got strong local support, and even spot some opportunities they might be missing.”
Methodology
For its inaugural Brand Map of Australia, Tracksuit surveyed 4288 Australian consumers in December 2024 and January 2025 to ascertain attitudes towards supermarket brands. This data captured national results as well as state-by-state insights to understand regional preferences across Australia. To establish consumer ‘preference’, respondents could only select one brand as their most preferred.
State-by-state rankings
| State rank | Top three supermarkets by state | State preference, from a national preference from sample of 4,288 |
| NSW & ACT | ||
| 1 | Woolworths | 35% |
| 2 | Coles | 30% |
| 3 | ALDI | 21% |
| Queensland | ||
| 1 | Woolworths | 35% |
| 2 | Coles | 33% |
| 3 | ALDI | 21% |
| Victoria | ||
| 1 | Coles | 35% |
| 2 | Woolworths | 28% |
| 3 | ALDI | 20% |
| South Australia | ||
| 1 | Woolworths | 36% |
| 2 | Coles | 25% |
| 3 | ALDI | 18% |
| Western Australia | ||
| 1 | Woolworths | 36% |
| 2 | Coles | 30% |
| 3 | ALDI | 16% |
Age rankings
| Age rank | Top three supermarkets preferred nationally among age groups | Preference among age groups, from a national sample of 4,288 |
| 18 to 34-year-olds | ||
| 1 | Woolworths | 33% |
| 2 | Coles | 28% |
| 3 | ALDI | 19% |
| 35 to 54-year-olds | ||
| 1 | Coles | 34% |
| 2 | Woolworths | 33% |
| 3 | ALDI | 18% |
| Over 55-year-olds | ||
| 1 | Woolworths | 36% |
| 2 | Coles | 32% |
| 3 | ALDI | 21% |
About Tracksuit
Tracksuit is the on-brand tracking tool to measure and communicate the value of brand-building.
Built from best-in-class methodology, Tracksuit is accessible and easy to understand for everyone from CMOs to CFOs, brand marketing specialists to founders.
Trusted by nearly 1000 modern consumer brands around the world, Tracksuit surveys thousands of people each week to track consumer awareness, consideration, usage and preference of a brand. The data is collected from different markets and demographics, while also being used to benchmark each brand against its competitors.
Tracksuit is now available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand and gives full visibility on brand health to help answer the common question, “Is what we’re doing working?”
