Woolies launches charm offensive for customers as shareholders take a hit

April 30, 2026 — 3:08pm

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Woolworths shoppers may have had trouble deciphering bona fide price discounting, but shareholders didn’t experience any vision impairment on Thursday, immediately registering the subtle profit downgrade contained in the supermarket’s performance update.

They heard it loud and clear and registered their protest immediately, slashing the share price by almost 10 per cent despite Woolworths posting a strong third quarter sales number.

For those listening hard to Thursday’s briefing from Woolworths’ boss, Amanda Bardwell, a distinct mea culpa to customers could be heard – an admission that the transparency of its pricing in the post-COVID 2022 inflationary spike left something to be desired.

That’s one way of putting it. The competition regulator is claiming in its legal action against Woolworths (and a separate case against Coles) that both supermarket groups misled shoppers with faux discounts.

Beyond those strong headline........

© The Age