Sydney, May 19, 2026, 08:04 AEST
- Woolworths closed at A$32.98, flat on the day, as the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.45% Monday.
- Supermarket discounting is drawing attention again after fresh pricing data and Coles’ court loss last week.
- Woolworths’ new update reported higher food sales. Fuel costs, spending on price, and legal risk are still issues.
Woolworths Group Ltd goes into Tuesday’s ASX trade with its stock flat and new questions about supermarket discounting. Fresh analysis of discount offers from Woolworths and Coles landed a few days after Coles lost a Federal Court pricing fight. Woolworths’ investor page showed the stock at A$32.98 at 4:49 p.m. AEST on Monday, unchanged for the session. Shares moved between A$32.83 and A$33.23.
The market was still in pre-open on Tuesday. The ASX pre-open window goes from 7:00 a.m. up to just before 10:00 a.m. in Sydney, then regular trading kicks off at 9:59:45 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. That meant the latest Woolworths price on hand was from Monday’s close.
The flat close came as the broader market lost ground. The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 125.5 points, or 1.45%, to 8,505.3 on Monday. That’s a seven-week low, as worries about oil-driven inflation and corporate profit warnings hurt risk appetite.
Supermarket pricing is back in focus for investors as well as shoppers. The ACCC said the Federal Court is still considering its case against Woolworths, while Coles was found to have made misleading statements in 13 out of 14 “Down Down” price tags in the Coles liability hearing. ACCC
Fresh questions hit Coles and Woolworths after Guardian Australia data found the supermarkets are often running the same promotions on popular items at the same time. Both use “high/low” pricing, putting goods at full price before offering a temporary discount. Erin Turner from the Consumer Policy Research Centre said, “This is not what competition looks like.” Dr Christina Anthony at the University of Sydney called the approach “commercially rational” but said it can still chip away at price transparency. The Guardian
Coles is still the main read-through for investors here. On its investor site, Coles shares were quoted at A$20.85 as of 4:00 p.m. Monday, trading in a band from A$20.81 to A$21.11. Woolworths’ pending case is now drawing more attention after the court’s decision against Coles.
Woolworths reported continued sales growth in its third-quarter update for the period ended April 30. Group sales were up 4.5% at A$18.1 billion. Sales from Australian Food grew 5.9%. E-commerce for the group jumped 20.2% to A$2.7 billion. CEO Amanda Bardwell said spending on value, fresh food, convenience and store operations brought “improved sales momentum” to the Australian Food division.
But the company softened its profit outlook in the update. Woolworths maintained its target for Australian Food EBIT to grow in the mid-to-high single digits for fiscal 2026, but dropped guidance for growth at the top end of the range. The company cited higher fuel costs and price offers like the Price Freeze. Bardwell said the Middle East conflict was bringing “greater uncertainty” for customers, suppliers and staff.
Woolworths isn’t trading like a pure defensive play after its half-year results. Sales increased 3.4% to A$37.1 billion for the half, while net profit before significant items rose 16.4% to A$859 million. Net profit after significant items dropped 49.4% to A$374 million, as the retailer took a bigger charge for salaried team-member remediation.
Woolworths faces a clear risk in the ACCC case. A loss or bigger changes to promotional prices could squeeze margins, right when higher fuel, supplier and cost-of-living pressures are already forcing it to invest more in price. But if the ruling is less harsh, or if cheaper prices keep traffic growing, shares could hold up better than they did after Monday’s fall.
Tuesday could come down to two things for the tape: Woolworths trying to keep its defensive spot while the ASX 200 stays under pressure, and Coles’ legal hit keeping supermarket prices in the mix. No new company update is close. Woolworths has its next full-year fiscal 2026 results set for Aug. 26.
