Travel Victoria logo Travel Victoria - accommodation and visitor guide
Victoria's regions, cities and towns Accommodation search Experience Victoria Information about Victoria
Home > Information about Victoria > Shopping > Shopping basics
Shopping
Shopping basics

LOCATION & MAPS:
- Where is Victoria?
- Distance guide
- Map of Victoria
- Street directories

FACTS & FIGURES:
- History timeline
- The land
- Population
- State symbols
- Time zone

WEATHER:
- Forecasts & climate
- Current conditions
- Live web cams
- Sunrise & sunset

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
- Airports
- Trains, trams & buses
- Taxis & bicycles
- Boats & ferries

DRIVING:
- Using the roads
- Types of roads
- Toll roads
- Tunnels & bridges
- Fruit fly exclusion zone

VISITOR INFO:
- Information centres
- Your safety
- Overseas visitors

SHOPPING:
- Shopping basics
- Money & banking
- Public holidays

COMMUNICATIONS:
- Telephone
- Post
- Newspapers
- Radio
- Television

EDUCATION:
- Education system
- School holidays

GOVERNMENT:
- State government
- Local government

Supermarket chains

The main supermarket chains in Victoria are:

  • Aldi
  • Bi-Lo (owned by Coles with most having been re-branded as Coles stores from 2006)
  • Coles
  • FoodWorks
  • IGA (including Supa IGA, IGA Everyday, IGA X-press and Friendly Grocer IGA)
  • Woolworths (some stores trade as Safeway)

Largest undercover shopping centre complexes

The 5 largest undercover shopping centres in Victoria are all located within Melbourne's metropolitan area. They are listed below, ranked according to their gross leasable area (floor space) and also by the total number of shops within the complex.

Rank by space Shopping centre Location Floor space
1 Chadstone Malvern East Over 170,000 m²
2 Knox City Wantirna South Over 140,000 m²
3 Westfield Fountain Gate Narre Warren Over 140,000 m²
4 Westfield Southland Cheltenham Over 130,000 m²
5 Westfield Doncaster Doncaster Over 120,000 m²

Rank by shops Shopping centre Location Shops
1 Chadstone Malvern East Over 500
2 Westfield Doncaster Doncaster Over 400
3 Highpoint Maribyrnong Over 400
4 Knox City Wantirna South Over 400
5 Westfield Southland Cheltenham Over 400

  • Figures above are correct as of 2009
  • Chadstone is also the largest shopping centre in Australia

Shopping hours

Except for 2½ days each year, Victoria has unrestricted trading hours throughout the city and country areas. This allows businesses to open any time of the day or any day of the week.

The 2½ days each year of restricted trading are the following public holidays:

  • Good Friday
  • Christmas Day
  • Anzac Day (only up to 1pm)

On those days, only exempt shops are permitted to open. Exempt shops include chemists, petrol stations, restaurants, takeaway outlets, service providers, hire outlets and those businesses with a small number of employees.

Finding a shop or business

To find a business, consult the Yellow Pages. Search by business type or name, anywhere in Victoria or nation-wide.

Advertise - About us - Contact us - Privacy - Terms of use
© 2004-2013. Travel Victoria - www.travelvictoria.com.au - Victoria, Australia