Roger Drake purchased his first supermarket in 1974, and today Drakes is the largest independent grocery retailer in Australia employing over 6,000 team members. Growing from one store to more than 60 stores across South Australia and Queensland, Drakes has retained the same values since day one.
Our mission at Drakes is to provide our customers with exceptional service, value for money, a great range and an outstanding shopping experience. To achieve this, we acknowledge that our customers are the most important people in our business.
We value long-term supplier relationships, and our company’s strength lies in operating on the principles of a family business, and supporting local manufacturers and suppliers. We will always support local, and all profits remain in Australia. It’s the Drakes way.
On 1st April 1974 (April Fools Day) what you now know as Drakes Supermarkets was established when Roger Drake purchased a three lane supermarket in an inner suburb of Adelaide called Jack & Jill Foodland.
The company has grown opportunistically since then, now being the largest independent family owned & operated grocery retailer in Australia with over 60 stores across South Australia and Queensland & employing some 6000 staff.
Roger always said you had to; get big, get small or get out and he chose the ‘get big’ expansion model; and since 1976 when he purchased his first large concept store at Torrensville in Adelaide, he has dedicated his life to growing the business.
It was in the 80’s we started Timesavers (stores at Grange, West Beach & Glenunga) and created Barn Developments (stores at Christies Beach & Pt Adelaide Halfcase stores; plus Alice Springs).
In 1992 we opened Woodcroft supermarket in the south of Adelaide; and we were thrilled to win the prestigious retailing award “IGA International Retailer of the Year”; presented to Roger Drake in the USA.
Early 1998 saw the purchase of 5 Arrow supermarkets across the metropolitan area of Adelaide (Newton, Seaford, Fulham, North Haven & Hallet Cove); all of which are still serving our customers today.
The Drakes Charity Show Bag commenced in 1999 for purchase across all South Australian supermarkets; with 5 major charities continuing to benefit from the proceeds (RDNS, The Hospital Research Foundation, Flinders Foundation, Bedford Industries & St Johns Ambulance). In 1999 we raised $25,000; and to date we have donated over $1.6M to our charity partners.
We value the importance of giving back to the community; and Roger Drake believes you cannot take from the community, unless you give back; so we introduced the Drakes Community Dollars Programme. In 2010 Roger Drake was awarded Member of the Order of Australia (“AM”) for his continued service to the community. Visit the Drakes Website for further details as this programme could benefit your local community club or charity.
When Franklins decided to leave Australia in 2001 we purchased their 5 supermarkets across Adelaide & employed all their staff at Golden Grove, Clovercrest, Elizabeth Park, Aberfoyle Park stores.
In mid 2004, we saw an opportunity to expand into Queensland with a group of stores being sold; so we purchased Flockton, Beenleigh, Biggera Waters, Samford, Burleigh & Wynnum supermarkets and our journey began in Queensland.
In 2006 we expanded in QLD with the purchase of 5 stores located at Rochedale, Ashmore, Parkinson, Brookside
& McDowall supermarkets which further cemented our presence in Queensland.
Thinking it would be our Head Office and our general storage for promotional activity; we purchased our first warehouse in 2011 and still have this today; which now includes our SA Meat Distribution Centre; and many of our Head Office staff.
In April 2012, we purchased our wholesale fruit & veg business in the Pooraka Markets in Adelaide, South Australia which we still source all our fruit & vegetables direct from the growers.
Late 2012 we grew the QLD stores substanitally by purchasing stores from the Cornetts family group; and started our journey outside of the metro area, serving the community in Toowoomba, Gympie, Sun Valley, Gladstone, Glenmore & Emu Park.
We purchased a Queensland fruit & vegetable wholesale business so we could go directly from paddock to plate across both States.
2017 saw an opportunity to establish the Drakes brand and set of standards across our QLD stores; where we now continue to grow within this State.
In 2019 Drakes Foodland rebranded to Drakes Supermarkets . With no government funding, Roger Drake took the brave move to build a multi-million dollar distribution centre to enable our stores to be serviced direct from the supplier via our own warehouse.
Roger’s main goal was to ensure the business could compete with the bigger chains; and in turn offer our customers better value for money at the checkout. This is something the business is very proud of and sees as its biggest milestone to date.
Over the past two years, we have been fortunate to acquire some established stores and build new supermarkets at Mundubberra & Proserpine in QLD; and Gawler East, Aston Hills & Lightsview in SA.
We look forward to continuing our growth to be more competitive for you, our customer - so watch this space as a new Drakes store may pop up in your neighborhood in the future!
As a first generation family business, Drakes Supermarkets has achieved great success as a ‘David facing two Goliaths’. The company is in a position to continue its significant contribution to the Australian economy & culture into the future.
THANK YOU from our family to yours; for your continued custom to our business - with your patronage, I know I will fulfill my lifelong dream to serve you and employ your family for generations to come.
Roger Drake
Managing Director
Drakes Supermarkets
The Brave Logistics Distribution Centre located in Edinburgh North was officially opened in 2019. It is the most advanced independent distribution and logistics centre of its kind.
We have two It’s Fresh - Produce Warehouses located in Adelaide & Brisbane. With over 100 years of combined experience in the fresh food industry, our buyers are the leaders in quality control & pricing. We take pride in providing our customers with the highest quality fresh produce from local growers.
We have six liquor store under the Cellarbrations banner located at Aston Hills, Eyre, Findon, Gawler East, Mount Barker and Wallaroo.
La Gelateria Autentica serves up a family of authentic Italian gelato flavours imported directly from Italy and made fresh in-store at Drakes. Order your favourites to enjoy on the go or as a tempting take-home pack, then close your eyes and imagine the cobblestoned streets of Italy under your feet as you bask in the Mediterranean sun.
Take away for breakfast, lunch and dinner made fresh daily at Drakes.
Design your own sensational salads, wraps and rolls, create your own delicious ready to eat hot meals or select from a range of self-serve hot soups.
Discover your next favourite at The Little Kitchen.
The taste of Italy made fresh in-store!
Explore Nonnas range of fresh, handmade pasta and delicious pasta sauces made in-store at Drakes. Let us cook it for you to take away, ready to eat or take home your favourites fresh and ready to cook. You’ll never go hungry at Nonnas!
Drakes Slow BBQ Smoking Range of Australian grown meat cuts are designed especially for the low and slow enthusiast. Fire up your BBQ and cook at a slow pace, a low temperature and with or without smoke, for fantastically flavoursome meat so tender it falls apart.
Become a legend of your own backyard with the Slow BBQ Smoking Range!
Grown+Ground’s barista quality coffee is available hot and ready to enjoy in-store or on the go. Our perfect blend of multi origin beans has been expertly crafted by one of Australia’s only certified World Barista Judges and our barista quality technology creates a deliciously balanced coffee every time.
Grown+Ground. Your everyday barista blend.
Deliciously different fruit and vegetables as nature intended.
Save Food Fight Waste products help Australian farmers sell more of what they produce – reducing food waste, helping the environment and saving you money. Now that’s deliciously different!
We acknowledge that our customers are the most important people in our business.
We pledge to always give back to the community.
We are committed to the long-term growth of the business in everything we do.
We must have the right people in the right jobs, enjoying themselves in a safe environment.
We value long-term supplier relationships.
We are working with our suppliers to develop sustainable packaging solutions that are recyclable, compostable or biodegradable.
We’ve partnered with OzHarvest to donate surplus fresh food, meat and bakery items to feed Australians in need.
We have diverted 1000 tonnes of food (and counting) from landfill to local communities in need.
We are working with our growers and farmers to reduce carbon in our atmosphere, eliminate harmful synthetic pesticides and herbicides from our produce and procure livestock from farmers with CO2 drawdown programs in place by using regenerative agriculture and biodiversity farming techniques.
