Woolworths, Coles grilled on why Australians pay more for Tim Tams than Brits
The supermarket giants have face cost of living committee questioning over reports that Australians pay more for Tim Tams than Brits. Their answer? Ask the manufacturer.   
October 11 2024
SBS News
Key Points
A senator quoted a report that found Tim Tams are more expensive in Australia than the UK.
When questioned, Coles and Woolworth's suggested Arnott's was better placed to comment.
A number of factors influence pricing but Arnott's says Australians generally pay less for Tim Tams than Brits.
An Australian senator has quizzed Australian supermarket representatives about the cost of one of Australia's favourite chocolate biscuits as part of a committee hearing into the cost of living.

Senator Jane Hume said Tim Tams were cheaper in Tesco and Waitrose stores in the UK than they were in Australia.

"I can’t understand why it is that supermarkets in the UK can afford to sell Tim Tams at a lower price than Australian supermarkets where we know Tim Tams are in high supply, they are essentially an essential," the Victorian Liberal senator said on Friday.   



Hume referred to a report that she quoted as stating a 200g pack of Tim Tams in Coles and Woolworths was $6, however, that same packet cost the equivalent of $4.86 at full price in Tesco supermarkets in London.

Coles and Woolworths representatives suggested the company that manufactures the biscuits may have more insight into why this was.

A committee inquiry is looking at the cost of living pressures facing Australians.
"It’s probably a great question for Arnott’s," Paul Harker, chief commercial officer at Woolworths, responded.

In a statement to SBS News, Arnott’s challenged the idea that Tim Tams were cheaper in the UK than in Australia.

"The average price paid by Australian consumers for a regular pack of Tim Tam Original in the past 12 months was $3.15, compared to the average price paid by UK consumers of $4.50," it said.




On Friday, Woolworths was advertising Tim Tam Original biscuits online at $6 a packet, while Coles had them on special at $4.50, down from $6.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) started legal proceedings against Coles and Woolworths in September over allegedly hiking prices on items before dropping the cost, with discounted items selling above regular pricing.

Tim Tams are among a list of products the ACCC alleges Woolworths made false or misleading representations to its consumers over, between 2021 and 2023.

Senator Jane Hume said TimTams were cheaper in Tesco and Waitrose stores in the UK than they were in Australia.
Coles head of public affairs Adam Fitzgibbons said the question from Hume on the difference in the price of Tim Tams in Australia and the UK "almost presupposed" that Arnott’s sold their products to Coles at the same price that they would sell them to international retailers.

"That’s not something that I or Coles would have visibility of at all, but I think that’s certainly a question that would be very best directed towards Arnott’s," he said.

Professor Gary Mortimer, a retail marketing expert at the Queensland University of Technology Business School said many international retailers had a greater "economy of scale" than Australian retailers.

"A hypothetical biscuit manufacturer might want their biscuits in some of the biggest retail chains in America and across Europe, and be willing to negotiate a lower price to get those products onto shelves," he said.


Coles and Woolworths sued by ACCC over allegedly misleading discount claims

Mortimer said he hoped the parliamentary committee would take a "holistic view" of the factors contributing to increased grocery prices.

"It's a free kick to go after the two big supermarkets, or supermarkets in general — for some reason they focus on the two," he said.

Mortimer said the "entire value chain" needed to be considered, what their cost structures are and how much they charge international retailers for the same products on Australian supermarket shelves.

Combined, Woolworths and Coles control 65 per cent of Australia's grocery market.
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Following the hearing, Hume told media it was a "real concern" the chocolate biscuits “cost so much here, potentially in a supermarket in Sydney only metres away from where their products are manufactured, compared to 17,000 kilometres away in the UK.”

"That’s why we’ve said that there should be, not a voluntary code of conduct but a compulsory code of conduct, we want to ensure that supermarkets are dealing with their supply chain appropriately," she said.

"That’s why we want to put a commissioner specifically in the ACCC to make sure that they can deal with complaints, anonymously if necessary, from suppliers to make sure that they’re getting a fair deal."

Overpriced brand products in supermarkets do have an element of gouging: if the manufacturer has advertised heavily, they can charge more wholesale but the retailer can charge a bigger markup too.

The purchaser is ultimately at fault. They've sucked down advertising and are prepared to pay high prices.

Tim Tams are nice, but they're not worth the price.

Bobby. wrote on Oct 11^th, 2024 at 9:22pm:


Of course they will.


re Tim Tams

Too rich for me.           ........eat enough of them, and you'll get sick.

And then you will wonder,  'Hmmmm, i wonder what caused my illness!'

Yum - Malteser biscuits... too much sugar though...