Adrian Portelli’s LMCT+ Supermarket Opens in Melbourne’s West
Adrian Portelli has opened his first LMCT+ supermarket in Deer Park, Melbourne, with a promise to beat qualifying Coles and Woolworths prices by 10 per cent…
MELBOURNE — Adrian Portelli’s first supermarket has opened in Deer Park, bringing a new price-beat offer to grocery shoppers in Melbourne’s west. The LMCT+ store says it will beat qualifying Coles and Woolworths prices by 10 per cent, but discounted shopping requires an annual membership.
The offer has conditions. A rival’s product must be identical, in stock, available in store and not on promotion; shoppers must ask at the supermarket’s front counter for the price adjustment.
The store opened at the former IGA supermarket on Hatchlands Drive. Portelli announced the price-beat policy after the opening on Tuesday, saying he wanted to challenge the major chains despite their pricing advantages on some products.
“It’s day one of the supermarket and it’s fair to say that I’m bored,” Portelli said in a video shared with followers. He added: “I’m coming in absolutely swinging, it’s time to stop playing games.”
How the 10 per cent price-beat works
The policy applies to products on LMCT+ shelves when shoppers find the same item at a lower regular shelf price at Coles or Woolworths. It does not cover a competing product on promotion, and the announced offer is limited to regular in-store prices.
That makes the comparison narrower than the Bunnings policy the supermarket offer resembles. Realcommercial.com.au reported that Bunnings accepts eligible online comparisons and can include comparable alternatives to its exclusive brands. LMCT+ has specified identical items, a distinction that matters when products differ by brand or pack size.
There is a brief calculation shoppers may want to keep in mind. A $5 item reduced by 10 per cent costs $4.50, saving 50 cents. LMCT+’s Everyday Saver membership is advertised at $99 annually, so the grocery savings alone would need to accumulate before a member recoups that fee.
The membership also covers LMCT+ petrol discounts, according to Realcommercial.com.au. That could matter for customers who already use the company’s fuel stations, though the grocery price-beat itself depends on finding a qualifying identical item at a lower regular price elsewhere.
Opening-day prices varied by product
Initial comparisons at the Deer Park store showed lower prices on some groceries than at the major chains. A dozen caged eggs cost $4.20 at LMCT+, compared with $6.05 at Coles and $5.70 at Woolworths. Weet-Bix was priced at $4.60, while both chains listed it at $5.
Not every item was cheaper. Realcommercial.com.au reported that watermelons were advertised at $2 a kilogram at Porte—its supplied article text ends mid-sentence, so it does not provide the rest of that comparison.
Portelli has flagged plans to expand the supermarket business across Victoria. For shoppers weighing the membership against potential savings, the immediate test is whether the products they buy meet the store’s exact-match rules and whether the discounts extend beyond groceries through fuel.
The Everyday Saver membership costs $99 annually.
Source: realcommercial.com.au
