Supermarket giant ALDI will not be setting up shop in Tasmania anytime soon, the company’s Australian CEO has confirmed.
Speaking at a Senate Inquiry into Supermarket Prices on Thursday, Anna McGrath cited the remote location and complex supply chain issues as significant challenges for opening a store.
“There isn’t an imminent plan,” she said.
“With Tasmania [and] Far-North Queensland, the distances and the complexities of the supply chains, it just makes it less easy.”
McGrath stressed the importance of prioritising organisational logistics over expansion to maintain cost advantages for customers on the mainland.
“It’s difficult, but we need to make sure that we can prioritise within the organisation to put our operating costs into making sure that we can set ourselves up for the future,” she said.
Independent Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell expressed disappointment over Aldi’s decision, saying that more competition in the market leads to better prices for customers.
“Tasmanians don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to buying groceries. There’s a Coles or Woolworths for every 8,000 Tasmanians,” she said.
“If we can’t get other players in the game to Tassie, then it’s Tasmanians who miss out.”
“Tasmania might feel like an international destination compared to the mainland, but that doesn’t mean we should be ignored.”
