2358 GMT - Shares of Coles fall 6.4% to A$20.76 after the supermarket operator's trading update in 2H so far looks weaker than that of chief rival Woolworths. Coles says its supermarket sales rose 5.3% in the first seven weeks of 2H when tobacco is excluded. That's below the 5.8% growth reported by Woolworths for its food business in Australia. Jarden analyst Ben Gilbert says modest cuts to FY 2026 expectations are likely. "That said, early January was likely impacted by cycling of Woolworths strike benefits," Jarden says. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 26, 2026 18:58 ET (23:58 GMT)
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