Woolworths to report third-quarter sales results

The group will release its results on Thursday morning, two days after Coles reported better-than-expected supermarket sales growth of 5.1 per cent in the third quarter.

Coles and Woolworths have faced heavy scrutiny as they have raked in billion-dollar profits while Australian consumers struggle with rising prices.

Issues including supermarket behemoth's treatment of suppliers on show during an at-times fiery grilling of chief executive Brad Banducci by Greens senator Nick McKim at a Senate inquiry earlier this year.

Mr Banducci announced in February he would leave as chief executive in September after eight and a half years in the role, denying that his walk-out during a Four Corners interview over supermarket price gouging was a factor in his exit.

"I do believe in the circle of life," Mr Banducci told reporters at the time.

"It's been eight years since I got this privilege and it kind of felt right to close that circle the way it started."

The group's half-year results released in February were mixed, with "challenging trading environments" not stymieing a 4.4 per cent increase in sales, with profits increasing 2.5 per cent to $929 million.

E-commerce grew 17.8 per cent across the Australian and New Zealand market including homeware retailer Big W.

Mr Banducci said at the time that Woolworths Group expected inflation to moderate across food and non-food products as supply chains issues were smoothed out.

Coles on Tuesday reported its third-quarter supermarket sales were up 5.1 per cent from last year to $907 billion for the 12 weeks to March 24, with some analysts expecting the half-yearly trend of growth over Woolworths to continue.

Woolworths also announced on Wednesday it was selling a five per cent stake in BWS and Dan Murphy's owner Endeavour Group, saying it would use the proceeds of the $468 million to return capital to shareholders.

Australian Associated Press