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Retail
Woolworths pops 10.9% on return to growth
Woolworths Group reported improved growth, with shares jumping over 10% despite missing analysts' expectations in the first half of 2026. The group, which runs grocery stores across Australia and New Zealand and Big W, said sales increased by 3.4% to A$37.14 billion. This was below investor expectations, who expected sales to rise by 3.6%. Earnings for the half rose 14.4% to $1.66 billion. However, sales for the second quarter rose by 4.4%, greatly outperforming expectations. This marks a turnaround after the company experienced pressure from investors following a major loss in the market to major rival Coles, and to turn around the poorly performing Big W. “Our focus is to continue to provide value to customers, rebuild trust and maintain sales momentum while making further progress on our strategic priorities to deliver for our customers, team and shareholders,” CEO Amanda Bardwell said. On the earnings call, Bardwell said that shoppers were increasing focus on value, leading to a higher take-up of promotions and loyalty programs. She also said Woolworths introduced 300 items in a lower price program that had led to a significant increase in the number of sales. The company said net profit grew 16.4% to $
Retail
Home Depot profit drops amid slump in home sales
Home Depot’s revenue and earnings fell last quarter amid a slump in home sales, though the company beat estimates. Revenue was down 3.8% year-over-year to US$38.20 billion in the three months to February 1, above LSEG estimates of $38.12 billion. Earnings per share were $2.72, dropping from $3.13 but passing estimates of $2.54. “Throughout fiscal 2025, our teams did an incredible job engaging with our customers and growing market share, and I would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication," said chair, president, and CEO Ted Decker. "For the fourth quarter, our results were largely in-line with our expectations, reflecting the lack of storm activity in the third quarter and ongoing consumer uncertainty and pressure in housing. Adjusting for storms, underlying demand was relatively stable throughout the year.” Gross profit declined 4.4% to $12.47 billion. Operating income was down 14.4% to $3.85 billion. The company reported an 8.5% decrease in customer transactions for the quarter, although the average ticket rose 2.4% to $91.28. Home Depot said the ticket increases were largely to U.S. tariff policies. For fiscal 2026, Home Depot projects sales growth of 2.5-4.5%. Adjusted earnings per share increas
Retail
Walmart beats estimates, buoyed by e-commerce surge
Walmart beat earnings and revenue expectations last quarter due to major boosts in e-commerce, though shares dipped on weaker-than-expected guidance. Adjusted earnings per share were US$0.74, up from $0.66 one year ago and above LSEG estimates of $0.73. Revenue rose 5.6% year-over-year to $190.66 billion, passing estimates of $190.43 billion. “The pace of change in retail is accelerating. It’s exciting. And our financial results show that we’re not only embracing this change, we’re leading it,” said Walmart CEO John Furner, who took over the role on 1 February. Customer spending remains resilient, Furner said on an earnings call, though “the majority of our share gains came from households making more than $100,000.” Walmart U.S. net sales increased by 4.6% to $129.2 billion last quarter, with operating income up 6.6%. This was boosted by a 27% rise in e-commerce sales, the company said. Walmart International sales climbed 11.5% to $35.9 billion, and the segment’s adjusted operating income increased 26.5%. Growth was led by sales in China, and e-commerce sales similarly rose 17%. Sam’s Club U.S. segment reported 2.9% growth in net sales to reach $23.8 billion. Total Walmart adjusted operating income increased
Retail
Barbeques Galore going under, 500 jobs at risk
Barbeques Galore has entered into voluntary administration, leaving hundreds of jobs up in the air. A voluntary administrator, Grant Thorton, was appointed today, with Ankura as the receivers, saying that the business will need to be restructured or sold. Barbeques Galore, Australia’s largest barbecue and outdoor furniture retailer, has 68 company-owned stores and 27 franchise stores across the nation. All in-store and online orders that have been paid for, or part-paid for, will be honoured but gift cards have been cut back to a third of their value. “Management was excited to turn around the business and move to the next evolution of the brand,” said chief executive David White. “Considerable progress has been made in recent months leading to significant improvements across the business and operations; however, ongoing liquidity challenges have led to the necessary restructuring of the business.”
Retail
Target to lay off 500 but lift hours to improve service
Target Corporation is reportedly sacking about 500 people, but increasing staffing to improve service for customers. The American big-box retailer said in an internal employee memo obtained by CNBC that it was changing the way it ran and oversaw stores, reducing the number of store districts and increasing the number of hours worked by frontline store employees. According to the memo, Target is laying off around 500 people, including about 100 at the store district level and about 400 across its supply chain sites, CNBC reported in this article. “This change also fuels our ability to put significantly more payroll in our stores – primarily in additional labour and hours where needed most, but also in new guest experience training for every team member at every store,” the email said. The email written by Chief Stores Officer Adrienne Costanzo and Chief Supply Chain and Logistics Officer Gretchen McCarthy was sent to employees in its headquarters and store field teams on Monday. CNBC quoted a Target spokesperson as declining to say how much additional investment was planned in stores and saying starting wages for store workers, which range from $15 to $24 per hour depending on the location, would not change. Targe

Retail
Walmart reaches a market cap of over US$1 trillion
Walmart has crossed the US$1 trillion (A$1.426 trillion) market cap threshold, joining an exclusive club typically occupied by big tech firms like Nvidia and Alphabet. At the end of Tuesday, the largest grocer in the United States reached a market cap of US$1.02 trillion while shares closed 3% higher at US$121.71. According to TradingView, shares for the company have risen 31.97% over the past year and 14.62% since the start of 2026 at the time of writing. While the grocer continues to appeal to those looking for a bargain, its online offerings are drawing in new, wealthier shoppers seeking convenience. “It’s been a massive digital transformation that Walmart’s gone through over the last few years,” chief investment officer at Accuvest Global Advisors, Eric Clark, told Bloomberg. “They’ve pivoted away from being just a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to using technology to drive more engagement.” Walmart has also pushed to incorporate AI across its operations, and it is already using the technology to speed up tasks ranging from scheduling to supply chain management. This also follows the company partnering with Alphabet to offer AI-enhanced shopping on Google’s Gemini platform and teaming up with OpenAI
Retail
Levi Strauss earnings beat analyst expectations
Levi Strauss beat Wall Street estimates in its latest earnings report for Q4 2025, with higher sales and profit. The positive results were driven by strong demand for its wide-legged jeans despite pressure from higher United States import taxes, which dampened consumer spending in the country. “Our success in denim lifestyle has enabled us to expand our addressable market, positioning us for mid-single digit growth in 2026 and beyond,” Levi Strauss chief financial and growth officer Harmit Singh said. During the fourth quarter, net revenues rose 1% year-over-year to US$1.8 billion. This also surpassed analysts' estimates of US$1.71 billion Despite this, net revenue in the Americas decreased by 4% on a reported basis, driven by a 7% decrease in the U.S. alone. However, net revenues grew in other markets, including Europe and Asia, by 8% and 2%, respectively. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) came in at US$0.40, down from US$0.45 in Q4 2024. However, this was still ahead of the 39 cents per share expected by analysts. Net income also dipped from US$180 million in Q4 2024 to US$160 million in 2025. Full year net revenues were up 4% year-over-year to US$6.3 billion, and diluted earnings per share rose to US$1.26
Retail
Amazon closes physical stores, will expand Whole Foods
Amazon will close its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores as it aims to expand its Whole Foods Market grocery business. The company plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods locations over the next few years, it said. Amazon acquired Whole Foods in 2017. “While we've seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven't yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” wrote Amazon. “After a careful evaluation of the business and how we can best serve customers, we've made the difficult decision to close our Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods Market stores.” Whole Foods will also expand its smaller-format Daily Shop locations, with five new stores to open this year. Amazon Fresh will continue to be available for grocery delivery in certain areas. Amazon is aiming to find employees at Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores roles elsewhere in the company, it said. Amazon will add perishable groceries to its Same-Day Delivery service in new cities and towns this year, having first begun doing so in 2025. Whole Foods currently operates more than 550 locations, with Amazo
Retail
Anta sport takes almost 30% stake in Puma
China’s biggest sportswear brand, Anta Sports Products, announced it will be taking a 29.06% stake in Puma, valued at €1.5 billion (US$1.8 billion). The deal is expected to help the German brand in its recovery and increase its sales in China while helping Anta become a more globalised business. According to Anta board chairman Ding Shizhong, the acquisition will make ANTA the largest shareholder of Puma. “Working with PUMA, we look forward to learning from each other and joining hands to fully unlock the brand’s full potential,” Shizhong said. “This will further accelerate ANTA Sports’ globalisation, and help drive the next chapter of growth for the global sports markets including China – creating lasting value for both companies’ consumers and shareholders worldwide.” Anta also made it clear that it has no current plans to make a takeover offer, which would be required under German securities law at 30% ownership. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year and comes as Puma has struggled to revive sales and follow through on a business overhaul after Arthur Hoeld, a former Adidas executive, took the reins last year. This follows a pattern of Anta acquiring and revamping Western sports and lifestyle