Woolworths confirms major sales boost following Disney Ooshies craze
Updated . First published at
Woolworths sales have surged by 7.6 per cent in the first eight weeks of the new financial year, driven in part by the booming popularity of its Disney Ooshies collectibles promotion.
Coles confirmed the impact of the Ooshies craze when reporting its sales results on August 25, but stopped short of revealing their next move in the collectibles space.
Woolworths confirmed a sales surge thanks to the Disney Ooshies craze. Jo Abi
“It has been a pleasing start to the year in Australian food with a continuation of the momentum from Q4 into F27 driven primarily by item growth and supported by the strong performance of the Disney Ooshies collectibles program,” Woolworths Group chief executive Amanda Bardwell said in a statement to the ASX.
“Looking ahead, while we expect the challenging economic environment to continue with household budgets remaining under pressure, our strategy to deliver low prices and the best range and convenience gives us confidence we can be first choice for customers while delivering for our team and shareholders in the year ahead.”
It announced its focus remains on affordability including its Lower Shelf Price range. iStock Editorial
Woolworths Group announced a net financial year profit of $1.138bn. This result impacted by the findings of a Fair Work case which found Woolworths and Coles had underpaid nearly 30,000 employees, the cost of which was announced by Woolworths in February.
Group sales rose to $71.5bn during the year until June 28, a 3.6 increase year-on-year.
Australian food sales increased by 4.6 per cent to $53.9bn, climbing to 5.7 per cent over the second half of the year.
“Looking ahead, while we expect the challenging economic environment to continue with household budgets remaining under pressure, our strategy to deliver low prices and the best range and convenience gives us confidence we can be first choice for customers while delivering for our team and shareholders in the year ahead,” Bardwell said.
A surge in online sales
Woolworths reported Australian food sales online jumped 18.6 per cent, heavily driven by the expansion of their On Demand delivery services and digital technology partnerships.
This included reaching 70 per cent shopping milestone on its app, and uptake of Woolworths’ AI bot Olive, Bardwell confirmed when presenting today’s results. The company will also continue to invest in AI to improve its future sales results.
Direct to boot sales doubled in the past financial year.
The company is implementing AI use across the business including in the creation of catalogues and dealing with customer inquiries.
Woolworths reported Australian food sales online jumped 18.6 per cent. Jo Abi
Woolworths customers continue to “value seek” by shopping at multiple retailer due to cost of living pressures, Bardwell said.
Woolworths announced earlier this week that it had added a further 105 products to Lower Shelf Price from this Wednesday, taking the total to 1,035 products including products such as mince and cheese.
The supermarket giant also highlighted its investment in own brands and convenience meals.
Coles Group released its full-year financial results on August 25, delivering a 2.8 per cent increase in group sales revenue to $45.7 billion.
The supermarket side of Coles’ business achieved a 3.7 per cent growth in sales to $39.8 billion, driven largely by online grocery sales with home delivery and click and collect sales which jumped by more than 26 per cent to $5.6 billion.
CEO Leah Weckert and management emphasised a focus on lowering food inflation, expanding value lines to relieve cost-of-living pressures for budget-conscious households.
Landmark ruling against Woolworths and Coles
Woolworths and Coles were found to have underpaid employees, leaving nearly 30,000 salaried employees underpaid by up to $1 billion combined over several years, due to systemic payroll failures.
Woolworths and Coles were found to have underpaid employees. Getty
In a landmark decision handed down on September 5, 2025, the Federal Court of Australia struck down a common retail industry practice regarding salaried store managers working 50- to 60-plus hours a week without overtime rates or penalty loadings.
The supermarkets would average or “pool out” employee pay over long periods (up to six months or a year), with Coles and Woolworths arguing that store managers fixed annual salaries were intended to cover all hours worked.
The court ruled that employers cannot pool payments across months and that an employee’s minimum entitlements under their award must be met in full for a single pay period each week or fortnight.
The legal action against Coles centred on approximately 7800 to 8700 salaried managers, whereas Woolworths’ suit spanned over 19,000 employees. Woolworths has reportedly set aside a total pre-tax liability of up to $750 million.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
