The first Coles store opened its doors on smith st, Collingwood, in victoria. it was april 9, 1914; the Thursday before easter. The world was on the brink of war, and australia’s first bank note had only just entered circulation. food was regularly delivered by the local butcher or greengrocer using horse and cart, and milk was often poured into a billycan left out on the front step. general stores were the closest thing to a variety store, but that first Coles store set in motion a chain of events that would revolutionise the way australians shopped. The shop windows displayed signs boasting ‘nothing over 1/-’, yet even the ever-optimistic owner gJ Coles was unprepared for the rush of customers who came that day, keen to take advantage of the bargains in this innovative new style of shop. what followed has been a century of delivering quality, service and value to the australian public, and yet, the Coles story doesn’t really begin with the opening of that …show more content…
he was the eldest son of a retailer, also george, who in turn was the son of a pioneer gold seeker. and in case you hadn’t already guessed, his name was… george. The first george Coles worked as a miner in victoria’s goldfields during the heady days of the 1850s gold rush. These were rough and ready pioneering times, and it didn’t take george long to realise that there were better ways to make a living. he opened a ‘store’ in a tent and began supplying provisions to the miners, providing what they needed to eat, as well as their picks, shovels and pans. when our gJ was a child, the family home was in northern victoria with his father, mother and their family of seven children. The gold rush had long since finished and gJ’s father was making his way as a retailer, managing a number of stores and properties through the region with the help of his