to become an ASX Top 100 Company. Headquartered in Sydney, its diverse business operations range from servicing its customers in supermarket and convenience businesses through to hardware.

Metcash’s customers are, predominantly, independently owned grocery and liquor stores, but also include hardware stores, which operate under our portfolio of brands including: IGA, Mitre 10, and Cellarbrations.

Metcash champions the interests of the independent grocery, liquor and hardware sectors through its core competencies of buying, merchandising, marketing, brand building, distribution logistics and warehousing.

Metcash Food and Grocery (MF&G) is the wholesale dry grocery and fresh foods pillar of the business; supplying product for our brands and distributors along with support for ranging, retail operations, merchandising and marketing. The business is supported by 5 major distribution centres delivering dry, chilled, frozen, general merchandise and hair/beauty/cosmetics. Eight fresh distribution centres deliver fresh produce, meat, bakery and deli products.

For a large part of its history, Metcash carried the name of the founder of its predecessor business, Davids.

Founder Joe David, was the second son of Lebanese migrants; a visionary and entrepreneurial thinker. In May 1927, at the age of 24, he opened his first ‘food’ store at Woolloomooloo, NSW; closely followed by six others. As the businesses prospered, Davids continued to expand and in 1935 opened a wholesale warehouse in Surry Hills, NSW.

The Davids business identified a niche market with great opportunity; supporting and wholesaling to independent retailers. The company formed the first professionally organised voluntary retail group in NSW and also established the industry’s first Retail Services Program for independent retailers. In 1980 the company acquired AG Campbells wholesale business.