Safeway (Australia)
Safeway is a former brand of supermarkets in Australia that lasted from 1963 to 2017. In 1985, Safeway was bought by other Aussie supermarket chain Woolworths to gain an upper-hand on Coles. In 2008, Woolworths announced that it would discontinue the Safeway name, and all Safeway stores will be rebranded to Woolworths - and those that refused would be closed down. The final Safeway store that was rebranded happened in 2017.
The Aussie Supermarket War[edit]
World War 2 ended in 1945, showcasing to the world what the ANZAC's were capable of. In 1966, however, World War 3 broke out between the Australian supermarkets Coles, Woolworths (known as Woolies among Aussies), Safeway, Aldi and IGA. All five sides fought bravely, but Coles and Woolies were the two main contenders. At the end of the war in 1985, IGA and Aldi made truces and left the fighting to Coles and Woolworths. Safeway was caught between the crossfires and was losing bussiness, so, Woolies made the biggest move in Australian history and bought Safeway, ending the war. In 1987, Woolworths and Coles went to war again but ended quickly when Shopping Centres decided that their store would either have a Coles or a Woolworths.
Rebranding[edit]
Due to the laziness of Australian workers, and too busy eating Hungry Jack's, there are still a few Woolworth stores that have the Safeway branding. Although Aussie locals know that it is in fact a Woolworths supermarket, British and American tourists often get confused and believe that is a Safeway store.
