Australia news

A strong Christmas season, focus on shopper experience and restoration to normal trading rhythm helped drive Woolworths Group F23 H1 sales by 4.0% to AUD33,169m (US$22,664m). EBIT grew 18.4% due to reduction of COVID-related costs in the prior year. Australian Food: H1 total sales up 2.5% Woolworths Food Retail (which consists of stores and ecom) sales increased by 2.4% to AUD24,196m (US$16...

Australia’s Coles Group reported sales growth of 3.9%, from continuing operations, in its half year to 1 January 2023, reaching AU$20.8 bn (US$14.4 bn), underpinned by the strength of growth at its supermarkets and online. The retailer said its EBIT rose 9.9% to AU$1.1 bn (US$759.2m) as COVID-related costs were reduced and it benefited from the effects of its Smarter Selling programme. As part...

Retail sales for the first half were AUD5.4bn (US$3.8bn), down 3.7% on H1 F22, as the retailer is cycling elevated sales from the pandemic. Improving momentum through Christmas Endeavour Group operates Australia’s largest alcohol retail network, across Dan Murphy’s and BWS. The retailer delivered the biggest Christmas week on record at Dan Murphy’s, supported by a positive mix shift as tren...

Woolworths and Coles have received a draft notice to deal with over 5,200 tonnes of soft plastic.  REDcycle soft plastics collection problem The two supermarkets had been taking part in the REDcycle soft plastics collection programme which encouraged shoppers to dispose of soft plastics including biscuit wrappers, bread bags, pet food pouches to recycle facilities in the stores. However, th...

Suppliers continue to face pressure from governments to reach new environmental standards, to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees and helping retailers to achieve their environmental objectives. Danone announced it plans to reduce methane emissions, as Nestlé and Mars Wrigley Australia introduce paper packaging to increase recyclability. Danone pledges to reduce methane emissions Danone ann...

Metcash has announced Scott Marshall, CEO of its food business, will be leaving the company after 30 years of service. Strong management team in place Marshall will be pursuing another career opportunity. Marshall was CEO of the food pillar for the past five years, and CEO of the liquor pillar. He will assist with a smooth transition while the search for a successor  takes place. It is exp...

MyDeal marketplace, acquired by Woolworths Group six months ago, has been integrated into Woolworth’s loyalty scheme. Getting more for loyalty Everyday Rewards has over 13m Australian shoppers using the free card to access the loyalty programme. They earn one point per AU$1 spent at a variety of retailers. At Woolworths and BIG W, Every Rewards members enjoy a AU$10 (US$7.20) discount on a ...

Woolworths has decided to close 250 of its 300 in-store butchers. Move to more convenient options Butchers account for just 4% of meat sales as shoppers prefer more convenient pre-packed options. The majority of stores will soon only offer pre-packaged meat products, following a deline in demand for in-store butchers. In the stores where both butchers and pre-packaged meat options are avail...

Cartology, Woolworths’ standalone retail media business, is adding a new network of digital screens across Woolworths Metro stores. Reaching more shoppers With the new additional screen, brands will reach Metro shoppers across 90 physical stores in the city and neighbourhood environments. Woolworths Metro stores offer a localised shopping experiences for shoppers across CBD and highly traff...

Coles has opened a refreshed store in Southland, Melbourne's bayside suburb of Cheltenham. The new store showcases the latest technology and digital integrations across the store's grocery and fresh produce. The retailer has also announced dropped prices for more products to help shoppers until after Easter. Coles Southland new look store Coles Southland store features the supermarkets larg...