Two-in-five Australian households have already made the switch to home-brand groceries, and the typical family of four stands to save as much as $2,424 a year by doing the same. That figure comes from a Canstar survey of more than 3,000 shoppers, and it lands at a time when grocery prices are climbing across every aisle — meat and seafood up 4.4%, fruit and vegetables up 4% in the latest CPI reading. What that means in practice is that a basket of everyday staples now costs noticeably more than it did twelve months ago, and the gap between branded and home-brand prices is where the real money sits.
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The shift is not just about cutting costs. Home brands now account for roughly 30% of all supermarket sales in Australia, which means they are no longer a niche option for the budget-conscious. Woolworths holds 38% of the national grocery market, Coles holds 29%, and both have expanded their private-label ranges significantly. ALDI, which operates on a predominantly own-brand model, holds 9% and consistently offers the cheapest basket — $72.41 for 20 common items, according to ACCC data. The practical question is not whether home brands save money, but which ones actually deliver on quality. Here’s what you actually need to know.
Before we go further, it helps to be clear on what we mean by home brand — also called private label or own brand. These are products sold under the retailer’s name rather than a manufacturer’s brand. Coles sells Coles-brand oats, Woolworths sells Bell Farms frozen vegetables, and Aldi sells Almat laundry liquid. They are not generic knock-offs; they are often made by the same manufacturers that supply the branded versions, just packaged differently. The difference in price, and in many cases the quality, is what makes them worth a closer look.
How much you actually save — and where the biggest wins are
The headline figure of $2,424 a year is an average for a family of four, but individual savings vary depending on what you buy and where. The biggest savings tend to come from staple categories where the price gap between branded and home-brand is widest: pantry items like oats, bread, and canned goods, and household products like laundry detergent. The table below shows which retailers have won awards for their home-brand products in specific categories, giving you a reliable starting point for switching.
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| Retailer | Award-Winning Home Brand | Product Category | What It Saves You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi | Almat (laundry liquid), Trimat (laundry powder), Westacre (sliced cheese) | Laundry, Dairy | Up to 30–40% vs. branded equivalents |
| Coles | Coles Breakfast Oats, Coles Wholemeal Bread, Coles Bakery White Sliced Bread | Breakfast, Bakery | Often 20–35% cheaper than branded |
| Woolworths | Woolworths Cream, Bell Farms Frozen Vegetables | Dairy, Frozen | Typically 15–25% below branded prices |
What I tend to notice is that people focus on the big-ticket items first — meat, dairy, packaged goods — and overlook the small household staples where the savings add up fastest. A 40-cent saving on a can of tomatoes might not feel like much, but across a dozen pantry items bought weekly, it compounds to real money. The ALDI basket at $72.41 for 20 common items is a useful benchmark: compare that to what you would pay for the same 20 items in branded versions at Coles or Woolworths, and the gap is often $15–25 per shop.
Where shoppers slip up: three costly shopping habits
The research shows that even motivated shoppers leave money on the table. The gaps are not about laziness — they are about assumptions that used to be true but no longer hold.
Assuming the sale tag is the best price
RMIT marketing expert Dr Nadja Dollisson suggests that shoppers should treat a sale tag as a “prompt to check” the unit price rather than a guarantee. The unit price — the cost per 100g, per litre, or per item — is what actually tells you whether the bulk pack or the smaller pack gives better value. 40% of shoppers already check unit prices regularly, but that means 60% still don’t. To fix this, look at the small white label on the shelf edge, not the big yellow tag on the product. If the unit price is higher than a competing product on the same shelf, the sale tag is not saving you money.
Buying the same brand every week out of habit
Brand loyalty is expensive. The same manufacturer that supplies the branded version of a product often supplies the home-brand version, but the price difference can be 25–40%. The Canstar awards show that products like Aldi’s Westacre cheese and Coles Bakery bread have won customer satisfaction awards — meaning they are not just cheaper, but preferred by the people who actually buy them. My first move would be to swap one category per week: oats one week, bread the next, frozen vegetables the week after. Within a month, the baseline has shifted.
Ignoring discount stores for pantry staples
30% of Aussie shoppers now visit discount stores like Red Dollar or The Reject Shop as part of their regular grocery routine, particularly for pantry staples. The research shows this is not just for odd items — it is a scheduled part of the weekly shop. The catch is that these stores have limited stock and unpredictable ranges, so you cannot rely on them for a full list. What works is to keep a running list of the five to ten pantry items you buy most often, check the discount store for those first, then fill the rest at the supermarket. That alone can trim 5–10% off the total bill.
Building a smarter grocery routine: brands that win, prices that work
This section is about the practical mechanics — which products to swap, how to compare prices properly, and how to structure a weekly shop that actually delivers the savings the research promises.
Which home brands to buy (and which to skip)
The Canstar awards give a clear starting point. Aldi’s Almat laundry liquid and Trimat laundry powder both won top marks, as did Westacre sliced cheese. Coles won for its breakfast oats, wholemeal bread, and Coles Bakery white sliced bread. Woolworths won for its cream and Bell Farms frozen vegetables. These are not generic recommendations — they are the products that scored highest in customer satisfaction surveys among people who actually bought them. If you are new to home brands, these are the safest categories to start with. The risk of a dud purchase is lowest where the product has already been tested and rated by thousands of other shoppers.
How to use unit pricing like a pro
Unit pricing is listed on the shelf label underneath every product in Australian supermarkets. It shows the price per 100g, per litre, per kilogram, or per item. The trick is to compare the same unit across different brands and pack sizes. A 500g pack of branded oats at $4.00 has a unit price of $0.80 per 100g. A 1kg bag of Coles-brand oats at $5.00 has a unit price of $0.50 per 100g — 37.5% cheaper. The same logic applies to laundry liquid, cleaning products, and frozen vegetables. The step list below walks through the process.
- 1Find the unit price labelLook at the shelf edge tag under the product — not the price tag on the product itself. The unit price is printed in small type, usually in a white box.
- 2Compare the same unitMake sure you are comparing the same metric — per 100g, per litre, or per item. A sale tag on a 200g pack may look cheap, but the unit price could be higher than the 500g pack.
- 3Check across brands
- 4Use the sale tag as a prompt, not a shortcutIf a product is on sale, check the unit price before buying. The sale price may still be higher per unit than a different brand or pack size on the same shelf.
Setting up a multi-store routine that works
Half of all Aussie shoppers already visit multiple supermarkets to compare specials, and 30% include a discount store in their regular rotation. The key is to plan the route rather than reacting to whatever is on special. Start with the discount store for the five to ten pantry staples you use most. Then hit ALDI for the award-winning categories — laundry, cheese, and general groceries. Finally, go to Coles or Woolworths for the items that they do best, like bread and frozen vegetables. This sounds time-consuming, but most shoppers who do it report that it adds about 15–20 minutes to the weekly shop and saves $30–50 per week. That is time well spent if you value it at roughly $100–150 per hour of effort.
What the next 12 months mean for home brand shoppers
The ACCC’s 2025 supermarket inquiry found that Australia’s major supermarkets are among the most profitable globally, and the regulator issued 20 reform recommendations. Private-label expansion is a key part of how both Coles and Woolworths are protecting their margins while keeping prices competitive. Monthly grocery sector revenue hit $12.3 billion in March 2025, up from $11.8 billion a year earlier, driven largely by price increases rather than volume growth. What this means is that the gap between branded and home-brand prices is likely to widen, not shrink, as the big chains lean harder on their own labels to retain customers. The window for locking in the habit of buying home brands is now — before the next round of price increases hits the branded aisles.
Frequently asked questions about home brand grocery shopping
Are home brand products made by the same manufacturers as branded products? ▾
How much can a single person save by switching to home brands? ▾
Does ALDI really have the cheapest basket? ▾
What if I try a home brand and don’t like it? ▾
Is it worth shopping at discount stores like Red Dollar or The Reject Shop? ▾
How do I check unit pricing on loose items like fruit and vegetables? ▾
Why private label growth is reshaping the grocery landscape
The shift to home brands is not a temporary response to high prices. Home brands now make up 30% of supermarket sales, and the major chains are investing heavily in their own-label ranges as a long-term strategy. Woolworths and Coles together control 67% of the national grocery market, and both have acquired interests in hundreds of sites for future development — 180 for Woolworths, 80 for Coles — which limits the ability of new competitors to enter at scale. That means the pricing dynamics that make home brands attractive today are likely to persist, not reverse. The smartest approach is to treat home brands as a permanent part of your shopping routine, not a temporary pinch. The ones that have already won awards are the safest place to start, and the ones you try and like become the new baseline.
Remember: this article is general information only. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified professional.
If this was useful, you might also want to read Supermarket Price Matching: A Smart Way to Save Money.
Sources and Further Reading
Simple Strategies for Effective Savings in Australia — A practical guide to building a broader savings habit around the money you free up by switching to home brands.
The Aussie’s Guide to Guilt-Free Spending and Smart Saving — How to balance the money you save on groceries with spending that actually makes you happier.
Canstar (2024). Grocery bill change: 4 in 5 Aussies. 🔗
ACCC (2025). Supermarkets inquiry: final report. 🔗
RMIT University (2024). Expert comment on unit pricing and grocery savings. 🔗
Shopfully (2024). Multi-store shopping trends in Australia. 🔗
