ABOUT MGA INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

Established in 1898 our history begins in the grocery trade, as the Grocers and Travellers Club with an annual subscription of 5 shillings. We then became incorporated in 1910 as the Grocers Association of Victoria, where we played a significant role in the Australian community, particularly after the Second World War in the late 1940s, where we worked with the Federal Government of the day to determine prices for commodities in very short supply such as butter, cream, milk, and sugar. In 1957 the Association, boasting a very strong and united membership, became known as the Master Grocers Association of Victoria (MGAV), a registered not for profit organisation in the Industrial Commission.

In October 2006, after many successful years representing Victorian members and after continuous cries for help from like-minded family businesses in other states, MGAV’s Board of Directors decided to form a national industry association in Master Grocers Australia (MGA). Whilst the grocery, or what is now the supermarket and liquor trade was in our blood, our focus has always been to assist and support family and privately owned businesses.

Between 2007 and 2017 MGA absorbed a number of like-minded industry associations, further enabling strong membership growth. These included NSW Retailers Traders Association, SA Retail Traders Association, Liquor Stores Association of Victoria and the Queensland Retail Traders & Shop Keepers Association.

To be relevant to a diversity of family-owned businesses and industry sectors, MGA became known as MGA Independent Retailers in 2014.

1200 packaged liquor licensed MGA members are represented by a dedicated MGA Liquor Management Committee

In 2017, MGA absorbed the Timber Merchants Association of Victoria (TMA) which represented timber and hardware merchants, with a view of expanding nationally. In 2018 the TMA is now known as MGA Timber Merchants Australia (MGA TMA) which is represented by a dedicated MGA TMA Management Committee.

Our sole purpose, “Making Life Easier”, for our members, is a philosophy that every staff member lives and breathes.

Our focus in 2018 “partnering for success”, is driven by a dedicated MGA team of professionals who are very eager to assist and support our members with MGA’s “back of house needs”, including; employment law, workplace relations and human resources advice, training solutions for management and staff and taking up any local, state or federal government issue that gets in the way of members trading efficiently and sustainably.

We are our members' voice at local, state and federal levels.