Coles moves hundreds of corporate roles to India in Accenture partnership

Coles announced on a Friday morning that it will shift “several hundreds” of corporate roles to Accenture’s Mumbai operation. The move is presented as an extension of an existing multi‑year partnership in which Accenture already handles a range of back‑office functions for the grocery chain.

The retailer said the off‑shoring programme aims to bolster “technological and specialist capabilities” needed to “continue supporting the business” as customer expectations evolve. In the same statement the company added that the partnership “will also reduce the cost of backroom operations.”

Media additions

Both Insideretail and The Nightly characterise the effort as “hundreds of jobs” rather than a sweeping lay‑off, echoing the retailer’s own language that the changes affect a “very small portion of the 115,000 Australians that Coles employs”.

"We recognise the impact this has on individuals and our wider team, and these decisions are never made lightly,"

Coles spokesperson, via Insideretail

The spokesperson continued that Coles will “redeploy as many affected team members as possible, including reskilling opportunities and pathways into other roles across Coles.” The company also conceded that some positions will be made redundant, but it framed any losses as “more than offset by the number of Australian jobs created through our ongoing store expansion program.”

Accenture has already begun advertising for the new roles. One posting seeks a “marketing campaign management specialist” with “seven to 11 years’ experience” and promises collaboration with “Coles 360 teams on cross‑functional campaigns”. The advertisement, hosted on Accenture’s career portal, omits any salary band, underscoring the focus on senior, specialised talent rather than entry‑level staff.

Insideretail noted that The Australian Financial Review had broken the story ahead of Coles’s own announcement, reporting a figure of 1,000 roles slated for off‑shoring. That number does not appear in the retailer’s public statement, which instead stresses the lack of an exact headcount.

The broader context is a wave of off‑shoring activity among Australia’s large corporates. The Nightly highlighted that the revelation came “just days after Qantas also announced it was in talks with Accenture to outsource hundreds of finance, marketing, human resources and other administrative roles, also to India.” Earlier reports described Woolworths moving “hundreds of finance, HR and IT jobs” to Asia, Telstra shifting “hundreds of jobs” to India, and NAB hiring “another 1,000 staff” in Vietnam and India. Colles positioned its move as a response to the same competitive pressures that have driven those decisions.

“The retail sector is becoming increasingly competitive as new global players entering the market and technology reshapes how customers shop and what they expect from retailers,” a Coles spokesman said. “To meet our customers’ growing expectations for seamless, personalised, digital experiences, Coles needs access to the global skills and resources essential to delivering those experiences.” The statement went on to argue that the partnership will enable the chain to “move faster, and deliver for our customers.”

In addition to the cost rationale, Coles framed the shift as a benefit for shoppers. The retailer claimed the move will help “reduce costs to continue delivering value for our customers at the checkout.” It also reiterated that the bulk of its workforce – the store staff who serve local communities – will remain in Australia.