Moran & Cato
Former Moran & Cato store (1940) | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Founder | Thomas Edwin Moran Frederick John Cato |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Fate | Acquired by Permewan Wright Limited |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 164 stores (1969) |
Area served | New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria |
| Products | Groceries |
Number of employees | 1,000 (1935) |
| Parent | Permewan Wright Limited |
Moran & Cato was the largest chain of grocery stores in Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.[1]
History
The partnership was established in Melbourne on 24 July 1882 when Frederick John Cato joined his cousin Thomas Edwin Moran who ran two grocery stores in Fitzroy and Carlton.[2] Moran died in 1890 at the age of 39 and was succeeded by his widow.[2] The following years saw expansion into Tasmania and New South Wales and incorporation of the company in 1912.[2]
In 1962, it was still the largest independent retail grocery chain and wholesaler in Australia and a competitor to Coles Supermarkets and Woolworths Supermarkets, and had largely converted its stores to the self-service model in 1957–1961.[3]
The company was taken over by competitor Permewan Wright Limited for A$11.6 million (equivalent to A$170.2 million in 2024) in 1969.[4][5]
Operations
By 1935 the company was employing nearly one thousand people and had about 120 branches in Victoria and Tasmania and 40 in New South Wales.[2]
References
- ^ "Bluestone Cottages and Former Moran & Cato Store". Victorian Heritage Register. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Cato, Frederick John (1858 - 1935)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "Why No Takeover Bid Is Likely for Moran & Cato". The Bulletin. 4 August 1962. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Moran and Cato Australia Limited". deListed. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ "Higher profit for Permewan". The Age. 22 July 1970. Retrieved 28 May 2021.