Spudshed

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Spudshed Fresh Food Markets
Spudshed
TypePrivate
IndustryAgribusiness, Retail
Founded1998 (1998) in Baldivis, Western Australia
FounderTony Galati
Headquarters630 Karel Ave,
Jandakot, Western Australia
,
Australia
Number of locations
17
Area served
Western Australia
ProductsFruit and vegetables, groceries, meat
Revenue$404 million (2020[1])
$7.6 million (2020)
OwnerTony Galati
Number of employees
1154 (Estimated) (June 2020)
Websitespudshed.com.au

Spudshed[notes 1] is an independent supermarket chain based in Western Australia. Spudshed was founded by Tony Galati, with all stores owned by the Galati family business. The first Spudshed was opened in Baldivis in November 1998, with the chain growing to a total of 17 stores across the Perth Metropolitan Area. Its main competitors are Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA. Most stores operate 24 hours a day, and are among the only supermarkets in the state able to do so.[2][3]

History[]

The Galati family were Sicilian immigrants who started a two-hectare market garden in Spearwood in the 1960s.[4] In 1998, Tony Galati opened the first Spudshed as a farmers market from a shed on his Baldivis property. In 2018, Spudshed reported profit growth of 76%, or $4 million.[5]

Tony Galati[]

Spudshed founder Tony Galati is the son of Sicilian migrants. His birthday is on April 1, he has just turned 60. He became a household name in Western Australia for his protracted legal battles against the Potato Marketing Corporation of Western Australia. In 2015, the PMC launched legal action against Galati, alleging that he had planted more than his allocated quota of potatoes.[6] Prohibited from selling excess potatoes due to legal quotas, Galati used free potato giveaways at his Spudshed stores to protest against what he considered to be unfair and excessive control by the board.[7] Galati ultimately prevailed when the state government deregulated the industry, with the PMC becoming defunct in December 2016.[8][9]

Ironically, while Galati campaigned on the basis of providing consumers with a wider selection of potatoes, and while Spudshed offers an enormous range of products not available elsewhere, even major supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths sell a better range of potatoes than Spudshed, which often offers only two very basic varieties.

The battle between Galati and the PMC was celebrated in a Fringe World musical in 2019, returning again in 2020.[10]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Spud is a colloquial term for potato in English.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Smith, Sean (2 November 2020). "Virus sales rush sends Spudshed revenue soaring above 400m". Thewest.com.au.
  2. ^ "WA potato laws embroiled in controversy". Watoday.com.au. 15 March 2012.
  3. ^ Brown, Natalie; Thompson, Brad (15 January 2015). "Spud giveaway proves big hit". The West Australian. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. ^ Brammer, Jenne (19 February 2019). "Tony Galati goes back to his Spearwood roots to open 11th Spudshed store". The West Australian. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  5. ^ Brammer, Jenne (18 November 2018). "Tony Galati's Spudshed empire grows profits by 76% to nearly $4m". The West Australian. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  6. ^ Fitzgerald, Bridget (2015). "The West Australian potato regulator to take Spud Shed owner Tony Galati to court over alleged breach of a commercial agreement". ABC News.
  7. ^ "Potato giveaway drives a wedge between growers". Abc.net.au. 27 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Premier defends decision to drop potato lawsuit". Abc.net.au. 30 May 2017.
  9. ^ Blanchini, Justin (17 November 2017). "Spud King Tony Galati giving away free potatoes at his Spud Shed stores across Perth all weekend". Wanneroo Times.
  10. ^ "Tony Galati the Musical". Fringe World. 2020.

External links[]

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