Moran & Cato was the largest chain of grocery stores in Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.[1] 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]

Moran & Cato
IndustryRetail
Founded1881; 143 years ago (1881)
FounderThomas Edwin Moran
Frederick John Cato
Defunct1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Headquarters,
Area served
New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria
ProductsGroceries

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] 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 in 1969.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "Bluestone Cottages and Former Moran & Cato Store". Victorian Heritage Register. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cato, Frederick John (1858 - 1935)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  3. ^ "Why No Takeover Bid Is Likely for Moran & Cato". The Bulletin. 4 August 1962. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Moran and Cato Australia Limited". deListed. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Higher profit for Permewan". The Age. 22 July 1970. Retrieved 28 May 2021.