** Analysts at Jefferies expect Australian retailer Coles COL.AX to have outperformed bigger rival Woolworths WOW.AX in Q4
** Says COL's out-performance aided by its Curtis Stone collectibles campaign; WOW's own Disney campaign began mid-July
** Flags Australian Food EBIT seen down mid-single digits in 2H25 for WOW, with about A$70 million ($45.22 million) in supply chain and weather-related costs; implies FY25 EBIT of A$2.80 bln
** Expects department store arm Big W to post ~A$70 mln H2 loss — nearing 2017–18 trough levels — with investors likely to press for turnaround strategy
** Commentary on price competitiveness vs non-traditional rivals like Chemist Warehouse and Bunnings may flag further margin investment, flags brokerage
** Brokerage lifts PT on WOW to A$30 from A$29.50
** WOW up 2.5% YTD while COL has gained 8.8%
($1 = 1.5480 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; editing by Diane Craft)
((Rishav.Chatterjee@thomsonreuters.com;))