How to get POS displays approved by Australian supermarkets

Woolworths and Coles both approve point-of-sale displays before they go into their stores. Approval turns on four things: a display type the grocer accepts, its size limits, its artwork rules, and a unit that survives the distribution centre and the shop floor. Get those right first time and you save a round of rework.

This page draws on the rules the two largest grocers publish for suppliers: Woolworths' In-store Display Supplier Guidelines (posted on its Partner Hub on 25 March 2025) and Coles' Off-Location Display Style Guide (November 2025, on Coles Supplier Central), both checked on 4 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm everything below with your buyer or category manager, and ask other grocers for their current rules before you design.

#1 - Start with a display type the grocer accepts

Woolworths approves off-location display bins, front gondola ends, shelf-ready trays, counter units and dump bins. Shelf stripping, pallet wrap, posters, aerials and MEB headers are not allowed in store, and wobblers, fins and decals go through a separate Woolworths team.

Coles has standardised its off-location displays: suppliers choose from approved designs, which Coles says greatly reduces approval time. Design and shape can vary within the overall measurements, and anything outside them needs sign-off from Coles' Head of Operations Merchandise Support team.

#2 - Design to the size limits

These are Woolworths' published maximum sizes and the dimensions of Coles' standard unit. Woolworths' commercial team checks that trays and low-profile gondola ends fit the planogram space, so those can come out smaller.

Shape matters as much as size:

• Front gondola ends at Woolworths must use a "waterfall" design. Box bin displays aren't allowed, because they block the view across the store.
• Display bins at Woolworths must not include header cards.
• Shelf-ready trays at Woolworths shouldn't carry a header when used within a bay, only when placed on the top shelf of a low-profile bay.
• The Coles Easy Erect 4 Shelf carries up to 16 kg per shelf, with no more than one product line on each shelf.

Our standard cardboard dump bins are 450 mm square and 700 mm high, inside Woolworths' dump bin limit, and we can make custom sizes and shapes to suit a grocer's dimensions.

#3 - Build for the store floor and the distribution centre

A display can pass design review and still fail in logistics. Coles requires:

• Floor protection. Units need a plastic base or a water-resistant clear coating, because stores are mopped daily.
• Shelf labels. Every shelf needs a data strip for the shelf edge label, at least 105 mm long and 39 mm high, on the left-hand side.
• Weight. Pre-packed and flat-packed units sent through a Coles distribution centre can weigh no more than 16 kg each (pre-packed units are picked by hand for stores).
• Packing. Pre-packed and flat-packed units go one per outer carton, on a CHEP or Loscam pallet, labelled with the non-standard item ID, item description, GTIN barcode and weight.

Woolworths asks you to review its distribution centre requirements if a display travels through a Woolworths DC.

#4 - Put together the approval pack

Woolworths asks for four things, sent first to your Woolworths commercial contact:

1. Display type
2. On-show and off-show dates
3. A render of the unit
4. Size (footprint)

Once they agree, send the same details to the in-store marketing team at pos@woolworths.com.au, copying in your commercial contact. Woolworths then issues an approval code (an internal code plus the show dates), printed on the unit or stuck on at the back left-hand corner.

Coles works from a longer plan: submit your off-location plan to the category manager at least 8 months ahead, ideally as a 12-month plan. Once Coles confirms the dates, you choose a unit from the approved options, the category manager and operations physically sign off that it suits the product range, and Coles category marketing approves the artwork.

Neither guide asks for a formal load test or sets a fire rating, so ask your buyer whether either applies. Coles does sign off a physical unit and rates its standard unit to 16 kg per shelf, so have these ready alongside the renders:

• a dimensioned drawing of the unit and its footprint
• the materials and finishes
• the weight of the unit empty and of a fully stocked shelf
• artwork proofs showing the offer
• a sample unit for sign-off and photography.

Our design team produces renders and CAD drawings for stakeholder approvals like these.

#5 - Check the artwork and price messages

Woolworths' rules on its own branding are strict. Suppliers must not:

• apply price points to display units
• use the Woolworths Fresh Sans or Script fonts
• copy Woolworths assets, including roundels
• use any Woolworths logo other than "Only at Woolworths".

"Only at Woolworths" can only go on a display where every product is exclusive to Woolworths. Any value or savings message must apply to every line in the unit. Front gondola ends should be fully supplier-branded unless tied to a Woolworths event, because they sit under Woolworths' own messaging. "Win", "Buy this, Get this" and "Bonus" offers must be reviewed by Woolworths' legal team before you ask for approval codes: send the terms, mechanics and high-resolution mock-ups through your commercial contact, and the team aims to reply within 3 to 4 business days.

Coles requires off-location displays to carry a value offer, such as a new-line introductory offer, a promotion across every week of the display, or everyday value. Coles branding on the unit must not be hidden by stock. Its artwork spec for the Easy Erect 4 Shelf is a 150 x 445 mm header and 720 x 430 mm side panels, which it describes as approximate.

#6 - Choose materials the store can dispose of

Woolworths gives voluntary but highly encouraged guidance for temporary displays (under 16 weeks):

• Preferred: paper or cardboard with at least 70% recycled content or from certified sustainable sources, cardboard or pulp clips and struts, and no mop guard.
• Phase out: corflute and rigid plastic boards, laminate coatings, plastic or metal clips that need a tool to remove, and rigid plastic mop guards.
• Disposal instructions: name the materials and the steps to dismantle and dispose of each part, somewhere store teams will see them, such as the side or rear of the unit, in text large enough to read easily (Woolworths gives text over 2 cm high as an example).

The two guides need balancing here: Coles wants a plastic base or water-resistant clear coating against daily mopping, while Woolworths prefers no mop guard and discourages rigid plastic and laminate coatings. Confirm the base finish with each grocer before using one design for both. Our dump bins come in cardboard, which suits supermarkets because a bin is usually off the floor within a short time, or long-life 1,000 gsm hollow-core polypropylene for wet areas and spots near fridges and freezers. Woolworths lists corflute and rigid plastic boards for phase-out on temporary displays, so check before choosing polypropylene for one.

#7 - Work back from the in-store date

• Coles: the off-location plan goes in at least 8 months ahead, and the final unit must be available for photography 6 weeks before it lands in stores.
• Woolworths: allow 3 to 4 business days for any legal review of a competition or bonus offer, before you request the approval code.
• Production: our dump bins take 1.5 weeks from order and print-ready artwork, plus freight. For a custom unit, ask for the production time when you brief us.

So if a unit takes 1.5 weeks to make, it needs to be ordered, with Coles-approved, print-ready artwork, at least 7.5 weeks before the in-store date (6 weeks + 1.5 weeks), plus delivery to wherever the photography happens.

See our FMCG and supermarket display work, then send us the grocer, the display type, your product dimensions and the in-store date through our contact page, or call 1300 240 250, and we'll prepare the drawings and renders for your submission.