Woolworths Group has reported a strong start to the 2027 financial year, with food sales in Australia rising by 7.6% during the first eight weeks. This figure represents a significant acceleration compared to the 4.6% growth recorded throughout the previous financial year. Company executives explicitly linked this performance to a successful promotional campaign involving Disney Ooshies, which are small plastic figurines offered to customers.

According to Woolworths, the Ooshies promotion was responsible for an estimated 1.5 to 2 percentage points of the total sales growth. The strategy appears to have successfully incentivized customer traffic and spending, effectively shifting market momentum in favor of Woolworths. While the report highlights the positive impact on Woolworths, it notes that the competitive landscape has been affected, with rival supermarket chain Coles Group experiencing the inverse effect of this shift in consumer behavior. The data underscores how retail loyalty programs and collectible-based marketing continue to serve as powerful tools for influencing short-term sales performance in the Australian grocery sector.