Do we like them?

Do we like IGA (Metcash)?

IGA is an independent supermarket banner supplied by Metcash, an Australian wholesaler that also runs liquor and hardware.

Our score: 6 out of 10. A decent independent-grocer network with an old record of regulator trouble over supplier deals. We found no recent big scandal, so we'd back it, but only cautiously.

IGA isn't one company. It's a banner flown by independently owned supermarkets, and Metcash is the listed wholesaler that supplies them. Metcash is run by CEO Doug Jones, and its latest results came out in June 2026.

Metcash says its large IGA stores now sit about 2.1% above rivals on price. It also says it wants to protect the IGA network and offer a responsible exit for retailers who have no one to take over. That is the company's own account.

The history is bumpier. In 2009 the ACCC forced Metcash to amend its supplier agreements. In 2015 suppliers made accusations of unconscionable conduct against it. Those are old, and they are accusations rather than court findings.

The ACCC also tried to block Metcash buying Franklins, but the Full Federal Court rejected the ACCC's appeal in November 2011. Separately, a Fair Work case over underpaid staff hit one Melbourne IGA operator. Metcash wasn't penalised in it, and that's on the store owner.

We'd rate it a cautious 6. It keeps a useful alternative to the big two going, but the supplier-conduct history and thin recent evidence stop us going higher.