Coles announced it will end its three‑year data and analytics partnership with Palantir, a move that affects rostering, store operations and supply‑chain planning across more than 840 locations nationwide.
Scope and performance of the collaboration
The retailer signed the deal in February 2024, deploying the firm’s Foundry and AI platform to merge staffing, bakery production and trading performance data into a single system.
According to a spokesperson, the technology helped drive operational efficiencies, ensuring products are available when shoppers need them and that team members are positioned correctly.
In a 2024 announcement, the tech provider said the tools would give the supermarket a “more granular understanding of spend as it relates to enhancing the experience for shoppers.”
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Public pressure and ethical concerns
Advocacy group GetUp! hailed the termination as a victory for a year‑long campaign that gathered 86,000 petition signatures. The group argued the contract raised ethical questions about worker rights and corporate surveillance.
GetUp! called for a shareholder vote at the annual general meeting, urging investors to reconsider the arrangement.
The retailer disputed the surveillance label, stating the platform is used solely for data integration and analytics, helping staff make informed decisions across the business.
“The software is deployed within Coles’ own environment and is operated and isolated under Coles controls,” a spokesperson said. “Palantir does not control the data, nor can it independently repurpose it.”
It’s worth noting that the broader debate mirrors concerns raised about the firm’s work with Australian government agencies, including the Department of Defence and the Australian Signals Directorate, as highlighted by the Greens Party.
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Transition plans are still being refined, but the arrangement is not expected to extend beyond calendar 2027. The retailer is coordinating with internal teams to migrate functions to other vendors.
In 2025, the company reported roughly 300 data and intelligence staff, supported by vendors such as Microsoft, Snowflake, Databricks and SAP, alongside the now‑ending partnership.
Other Australian customers of the tech firm include miner Rio Tinto, which runs Foundry on Amazon Web Services, and the Department of Defence, which uses the Maven system for targeting solutions.
For more context on the provider’s global footprint, see the Wikipedia entry.
