(Reuters) – Woolworths Group Ltd on Wednesday posted a 21% drop in half-year profit, as pandemic-induced costs hurt its earnings from consumers stocking up on essentials during long spells of lockdowns and restrictions.
Australia’s biggest supermarket operator said net profit after tax from continuing operations came in at A$676 million ($488.00 million), lower than A$850 million a year earlier.
($1 = 1.3852 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Harish Sridharan and Indranil Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
