Online retailer Catch.com.au to shut down; 190 jobs to go

Online retailer Catch.com.au will be shut down in the coming months after intensifying competition from Amazon, Shein and Temu led parent company Wesfarmers, which also operates Kmart and Bunnings, to axe the website it bought in 2019 to focus on its better-known retailers.
Nearly 200 jobs will be lost, while 100 e-commerce roles will be transferred to Kmart to leverage Catch’s warehouses after it closes in the fourth quarter of the 2025 financial year. The website will stop selling products on April 30.
No Catch: The e-commerce site will stop selling at the end of April.Credit: Internet
Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott said Catch had provided the wider group with better digital capabilities, and its closure was in the best interest of shareholders.
“It allows us to eliminate losses,” he said.
Loading
“There has been a significant increase in competitive intensity in the Australian e-commerce sector, including from the entry and expansion of international competitors, which has impacted Catch’s ability to generate satisfactory returns over the long term.
“Standalone, broad-based marketplaces require significant scale and traffic to achieve profitability. International players are better able to leverage their global scale, networks and technologies compared to Australian-owned broad-based marketplaces.”
Wesfarmers’ other retail brands, which include Target, Officeworks and Priceline, have a more scalable and cost-effective offering than Catch as they have both physical and online stores, he added.
Catch’s e-commerce warehouses in Moorebank, NSW and Truganina, Victoria, will be transferred to discount giant Kmart, a move aimed at improving the experience for customers and lifting efficiency.