Opinion: What if Coles had acquired Dan Murphy’s instead of Woolies?

In 1998, an executive of the then-Coles Myer food and liquor business discussed the acquisition of the Dan Murphy’s chain of five Victorian stores. Founded in 1952 by winemaker and journalist Daniel Murphy, the chain may only have had five stores at the time but the brand was dominant in the fragmented retail liquor industry. The Dan Murphy’s Prahran and Alphington outlets boasted the highest liquor sales in the state. Coles Myer was first to the table to discuss an acquisition but Woolworth