Australian retailer Woolworths has been made a joint buyout bid for its AIW independent wholesalers division by two independent supermarket groups – Queensland’s United Star Supermarkets and Victoria-based Food-way.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Woolworths last week announced it was planning to withdraw from wholesale distribution after it lost a key buyer, FoodWorks Supermarket Group, to rival supplier Metcast Trading.


United Star opera rates the 5-Star retail group in four states. CEO Geoff Ashton said he would work to minimise disruption to supplies, and that if negotiations were successful, independent retailers would own and operate their own warehouse.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact