Saturday morning and the retail news for Australian shoppers is being written by the regulator. The ACCC has blocked Coles from acquiring a vacant retail site in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the first time any proposed retail acquisition has been refused under the new mandatory merger regime that took effect on 1 January. On the same page of the calendar, the world-first supermarket excessive-pricing prohibition kicked in on 1 July, giving the regulator direct legal power to challenge Coles and Woolworths shelf prices that sit “significantly excessive” above supply cost plus a reasonable margin. British group Frasers has launched a full takeover bid for Accent Group, the country’s largest footwear retailer, and the Accent board has told shareholders to reject it. Five fresh Australian stores today, all Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, none carried over from the last two days.
ACCC Blocks Coles Kalgoorlie Site Acquisition
The ACCC has formally opposed Coles Group’s proposed acquisition of a leasehold interest for a vacant 2,800 square metre site in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, where the supermarket chain had planned to build a new full-line supermarket and Liquorland. It is the first proposed retail acquisition refused under the new mandatory merger regime that took effect on 1 January 2026 (Keira Joyce, Food & Drink Business, 7 July 2026). The regulator ruled that Coles building on the site would substantially lessen competition in Kalgoorlie by driving an effective independent full-line competitor out of the market, and that new entry would not be timely or sufficient to offset the loss.
ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said the decision came down to the role independent supermarkets play in regional Australia: “Independent supermarkets are an important competitive constraint on the major supermarket chains. They provide consumers with meaningful choice, competition on service, quality and range, and competition on price for some products” (Cat Fredenburgh, Lawyerly, 1 July 2026). For regional Australian households, the practical read is direct. The regulator is now willing to say no to a proposed Coles or Woolworths footprint expansion on competition grounds alone, and it is prepared to weigh the exit risk of the local independent as a real cost to shoppers. Coles can seek Tribunal review; competition lawyers are watching this file closely because it is the template for every regional acquisition that follows.
World-First Supermarket Excessive-Pricing Law Now in Force
On 1 July 2026 Australia became the first country in the world to explicitly prohibit “excessive pricing” by named supermarket retailers under the Food and Grocery Code. Coles and Woolworths (the only chains captured by the 30 billion dollar annual revenue threshold) are now barred from setting a shelf price that is “significantly excessive” compared with the supply cost of the product plus a reasonable margin (Ground News, 7 July 2026). Penalties top out at 10 million dollars per breach, three times the benefit obtained, or 10 per cent of the retailer’s annual Australian turnover, whichever is greater.
ACCC Acting Chair Catriona Lowe has said the regulator will focus early enforcement on the categories where excessive pricing hits Australian households hardest (staples, produce, packaged basics) and will publish its analysis to lift deterrence across the sector (The Times Australia, 5 July 2026). For weekly shoppers the practical tool is simple. If a product’s shelf price at Coles or Woolworths looks out of step with the same product at an independent grocer or with the wholesale price the same brand quotes on its website, that is now the kind of price gap the regulator has legal power to challenge, and the ACCC accepts consumer reports directly. Keep the receipt, snap the shelf tag, note the date, and lodge it.
Frasers Group Launches Takeover Bid for Accent Group
British listed retailer Frasers Group (the Mike Ashley vehicle behind Sports Direct, House of Fraser and a growing global stable) has launched a full takeover bid for Accent Group, Australia’s largest footwear retailer and the operator of Platypus, Athlete’s Foot, Skechers Australia, Hype DC and Stylerunner (Fibre2Fashion, 4 July 2026). The offer opened on 30 June and closes 30 July. Accent’s board has recommended shareholders reject the bid as inadequate, and Frasers has applied to the Australian Takeovers Panel to intervene against the board’s response.
For Australian shoppers the interesting question is what happens to sizing, stock and warranties across roughly 900 Accent Group storefronts if Frasers wins. Frasers is a low-margin, big-volume operator with a track record of stripping brand overheads and reworking store networks. Whatever the outcome, the current sale mechanics at Platypus, Athlete’s Foot and Skechers Australia continue as normal through July, and gift cards remain honoured. If you have store credit, use it in the current window rather than sitting on it.
WA Footwear Chain, Retail Administrations, and What is Still Rolling
A 134-year-old Western Australian footwear chain is closing seven of its eleven stores across the state, the latest name in a run of long-standing Australian retail closures that has picked up pace through the June to July window (The West Australian retail feed). Kathmandu’s parent has been restructuring capital, a well-known Australian activewear label has moved into voluntary administration this quarter, and Apple has quietly lifted Australian sticker prices on iPad and MacBook lines this month. The read for shoppers is not to panic-buy at closing stores, but to be careful with gift-card balances if a brand is publicly under stress, use closing-store discounts on things you were already planning to buy, and check whether the item is stocked cheaper by an Australian competitor before committing.
On the calendar itself, Myer’s Stocktake Sale is in its closing week and the Myer Toy Sale runs to Sunday 19 July, both catalogue-priced and both worth a Myer One redemption if you have points sitting (Getprice, July 2026). Woolworths kicks off a Commonwealth Games collectible coin promotion in partnership with the Royal Australian Mint on Tuesday 15 July, with three limited-edition coins available in-store for qualifying spend (Retail World, July 2026). The RBA does not sit again until Tuesday 11 August, so the cash rate stays at 4.10 per cent for the rest of July (Your Mortgage, 8 July 2026). And the card-surcharge ban on Visa, MasterCard and EFTPOS transactions remains locked in for October 2026 (Andrew Leigh transcript, 2 July 2026), removing another line-item cost from most in-store and online checkouts.
Five Fresh Australian Stores, Audited at Dawn
Five stores. Five categories. All fresh names today, none carried over from Thursday or Friday, all headline discounts verified from the live sale pages.
Discount
Princess PollyWomen's WearUp to 80 per cent off Princess Polly’s sale: dresses, denim, tops, going-out wear and knits from the Australian-founded womenswear label with local Sydney warehousing, free returns and Afterpay.80%OFF2
ShowpoFashion AccessUp to 80 per cent off Showpo’s Sale: dresses, occasion wear, tops, denim and accessories from the Australian-founded fast-turn womenswear label with Sydney warehousing and free Australian shipping over 50 dollars.80%OFF3
UGG ExpressUgg BootsUp to 80 per cent off UGG Express: classic sheepskin boots, slippers and moccasins from the Australian sheepskin specialist, Australian warehoused with local dispatch and free returns on unworn stock.80%OFF4
Eckersleys Art & CraftArt SuppliesUp to 70 per cent off Eckersleys Art and Craft: paints, canvas, brushes, journals, easels and craft supplies from the Australian art materials specialist since 1938, with 30-plus stores nationally.70%OFF5
GrahamsJewelleryUp to 70 per cent off Grahams Jewellers: engagement rings, gold and silver chains, diamond studs, watches and gift jewellery from the Australian family-owned jeweller since 1959, with lifetime service and Australian workshops.70%OFF% discounts shown are indicative across each store’s sale range. Individual product savings vary.
Other Deals Worth A Look
Beyond the Top 5, a handful of other Australian-owned retailers are running strong cuts through the weekend. Academy Brand (today’s Top 6 ticker pick) has up to 60 per cent off Australian-designed menswear including denim, tees, knitwear and outerwear. Forever New is running up to 60 per cent off Australian-founded womenswear across dresses, workwear, going-out and knits. The Hut has up to 60 per cent off homewares and lifestyle from the Australian-owned specialty retailer. David Jones is running its winter clearance across fashion, homewares and beauty with mid-season markdowns. Decjuba is up to 60 per cent off Australian-designed womenswear across dresses, denim and knits. All Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, all backed by Australian Consumer Law.
Our Take
Zoom out from the day and the message to Australian households is unusual. Inside a single fortnight the ACCC has blocked a Coles supermarket acquisition on competition grounds, activated a world-first excessive-pricing prohibition against Coles and Woolworths, opened its 10-day Down Down trial in the Federal Court, sued Amazon over Prime Video ad terms, sued a debt collector over 320,000 misleading notices, and locked in the October card-surcharge ban. Add the Frasers bid for Accent Group and the ongoing pressure on Chinese cross-border marketplaces (EU’s 3 euro parcel duty, ACCC investigation into Temu’s safety pledge), and the direction of travel across every corner of Australian retail is the same. Discount claims, subscription terms, “fresh” labels, “up to 80 per cent off” tickets and merger footprints all now need to be verifiable, not just marketable.
That is exactly why It’s On Sale exists. We track 35,000 Australian stores and 45,000 live sale products, every retailer Australian-owned or locally fulfilled, every promotion audited daily. Today’s Sales shows every store currently running a discount in one place. The AI search reads the way real shoppers ask (try “womens dresses under 80” or “ugg boots clearance”). None of it is Temu, Shein, AliExpress, Wish or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. Browse Today’s Sales on the Saturday of the second week of the new financial year, with the regulator visibly on your side.