Coles vs Woolworths own brand: which saves you more?
Compare Coles and Woolworths own brands head to head. Which saves more? We break down the data.
Coles and Woolworths control two-thirds of Australia's grocery sales and both have scaled their own brands aggressively. Coles targets 40 percent of revenue from own brands within five years. Woolworths already generates 32 percent from own brands. But which saves you more on your weekly shop?
Pinch tracks real prices at both retailers across 52 weeks of history, showing you exactly which own brand costs less on the items your household buys every week.
The own brand landscape: 2026
Both retailers have invested heavily in their own brand portfolios:
- Coles Brand (standard tier) and Coles Finest (premium tier): Coles Finest grew 20.4 percent in FY24, signalling growing consumer trust
- Woolworths Home Brand (standard tier) and Woolworths Gold (premium tier): Macro range grew 12 percent in FY24
Both retailers compete hard on pricing because own brands protect their margins while keeping customers loyal. The question is not whether to buy own brand (you should) but which retailer offers better value on the products your household relies on.
Which retailer has cheaper own brands?
The answer depends on what you buy. Neither retailer consistently undercuts the other across all categories. On staples like milk, bread, and tinned goods, prices are often within 10-20 cents of each other. The real differences emerge in premium ranges:
- Coles Finest tends to price slightly higher than Woolworths Gold on premium items like biscuits, chocolate, and specialty products
- Woolworths Home Brand and Coles Brand are closer in price, with weekly specials shifting which is cheaper on any given product
- Woolworths frequently runs deeper discounts on own brand items during major promotions
The best strategy is to know your household's most-purchased products and track prices weekly. A family buying milk, bread, pasta, eggs, and tinned tomatoes at both retailers might find Coles 5 percent cheaper overall, while another family with different preferences might find Woolies 5 percent cheaper. The margin is tight.
How much can you save by choosing own brand?
Switching from branded products to own brand at either retailer saves 20 to 35 percent on your weekly shop. That is $35-70 per week for an average Australian household spending $178-207 on groceries. Over a year, that is $1,820-3,640 in savings.
The choice between Coles and Woolworths own brands is less important than the choice to buy own brand at all. If you are still buying branded milk, pasta, and tinned tomatoes, you are leaving money on the table regardless of which supermarket you shop at.
How to shop strategically between both retailers
Some Australian families split shop: buying staples at the supermarket with cheaper own brands this week, then switching next week based on sales and availability. This works if you live near both stores and have time to compare. Otherwise, focus on these rules:
- Choose one retailer as your primary shop based on proximity and convenience
- Buy own brand for staples (milk, bread, rice, pasta, tinned goods, flour, sugar, oil)
- Check weekly specials at your primary retailer and stock up on own brand when on sale
- For items where you have brand loyalty (breakfast cereal, yoghurt, cheese), buy own brand equivalent and give it a two-week trial
- Use Pinch to track the 10-15 products your household buys most often and see which retailer is cheaper on average
Your weekly savings depend more on which products you choose (own brand vs branded) than which retailer you choose (Coles vs Woolworths).
Know your prices before you shop
Pinch tracks own brand prices at Coles and Woolworths across 52 weeks of history. Know which retailer is cheaper on the items you buy every week.
Download Pinch (free on iOS, Android coming soon). No ads. No data selling.