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Information about Woolworths Group's separation of Endeavour Group, including the formation of a stand-alone business, Greenstock, and the impact on Group sales, eCommerce, and costs. The document also includes financial highlights and significant accounting policies.
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Contents
SECTION 2 BUSINESS REVIEW Australian Food 24 New Zealand Food 30 BIG W 32 Discontinued operation 34 Our material risks 36
SECTION 4
FINANCIAL REPORT
Auditor's Independence Declaration 76 Financial Report 77 Directors’ Declaration 152 Independent Auditor’s Report 153
Woolworths Group acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures; and to Elders both past and present.
We support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution. We commit to continued listening and learning from First Nations voices and to work in partnership to create change. We acknowledge that we have a responsibility and must do more to truly live our purpose to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow.
SECTION 5 OTHER INFORMATION Shareholder information 158 Corporate Governance Statement 159 Glossary 161 Company directory 164
SECTION 1 PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS Our impact 2 Sustainability 4 How we create value 6 Our key strategic priorities 8 Chairman's Report 14 Chief Executive Officer’s Report 16 Group financial performance 18
SECTION 3 DIRECTORS’ REPORT Governance 42 Board skills and experience 43 Board of Directors 44 Group Executive Committee 46 Directors’ Statutory Report 50 Remuneration Report 52
People
Gender Equality
‘I am here’ program
32,
Resourcing the Future Indigenous team members
~5,
Team members
210,
Product
Group Voice of Customer NPS June
57
1pt from Q3'
Customers served on average per week
27.8 M
Online visits per week
19.7 M
Customers
Removed
> 2,500 tonnes of plastic from operations in F
Animal Welfare
Macro Whole Living Products
100 %
2,905 tonnes
of soft plastic returned to store
Customers using eReceipts
> 250,
More ways to better serve our customers^3
1,
184
176
706
734
875
10
LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Our impact
1
Planet
Dividend per share 5
108 ¢
Return on funds employed 4
15.1 %
Community
Carbon emissions
27 % below 2015 baseline
Free cash flow before dividends
$ 1,089 M
Group sales
$ 67,278 M
Group EBIT
Organic waste^ $ 3,663 M
113,
tonnes diverted from landfill
Power from solar
31,480 kW
capacity installed
Food relief meals donated
> 24 M
via store network
Economic
2
Total community contribution
$ 34.9 M
In kind
$ 13.9 M
Cash donations
$ 21.0 M
Leveraged fundraising
$ 14.1 M
S.T.A.N.D. donation
$ 2.9 M
Odd Bunch fruit &
vegetables
35, tonnes purchased by customers 1 For the 2021 financial year including Endeavour Group. 2 Before significant items. 3 Including Australian and New Zealand Food and BIG W. 4 F21 ROFE calculation normalised to exclude the $7, million demerger distribution liability. 5 Full year fully franked dividend. 6 From Woolworths Group cash flow.
Tax paid 6
$ 738 M
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a significant investment in growing the industry. In June, we announced our first renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) which will inject enough green electricity into the state’s energy grid to power 30% of Woolworths Group’s NSW energy needs.
Sustainability Governance
Woolworths Group considers sustainability to be a board‑level strategic issue. The CEO and Group Executive Committee, including the Chief Sustainability Officer, have accountability for the implementation of our sustainability strategy.
Climate‑related risks and opportunities are identified through the Woolworths Group Risk Management Process in line with our Risk Management Framework (RMF) framework. The RMF framework sets out the required end‑to‑end management of our risk assessment and risk response processes, and monitoring and reporting. Climate change has been identified as a material business risk and is included in the material risk section of the Annual Report on page 36. Our response to these risks is contained in our Sustainability Plan 2025.
For more information see 2021 Sustainability Report.
Human rights key highlights in F
Carbon emissions reduction
27 %
below 2015 levels
F21 Plastics reduction
> 2,500 t
Community contribution as % of EBT on a 2-year rolling average
1.23 %
Human Rights & Responsible Sourcing
As Australia’s largest retailer, with complex operations and supply chains, Woolworths Group is exposed to dynamic human rights risks. Stakeholders continue to identify human rights as one of our material risks. The human rights commitments in the Sustainability Plan 2025 articulate our ambition to build a rights‑respecting culture where human rights risks are identified, managed and mitigated in our operations and supply chain. Progress highlights against this important initiative can be found on the left bar on page 4. As outlined in our second Modern Slavery Statement we continue to scale up our human rights due diligence in non‑trade and operations, while maintaining focus on commodities and countries with higher modern slavery risks to improve outcomes for workers. Human rights due diligence is an ongoing process of bringing the concerns of potentially affected stakeholders into consideration for decision making. For more information see 2021 Modern Slavery Statement.
We act like a leader and speak up on issuesthat matter
We care for, and unlock the potential of our people
We have a positive impact on the planet
We apply circular thinking in everything we do
We embrace the power of partnerships to create change
Our plan is explicitly underpinned
by our Guiding Principles
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How we create value
Team
A diverse and inclusive environment for
our teams to work reflecting the diversity
of our communities
Customer services
Connecting customers with good food and
more everyday through convenient stores,
services and leading loyalty programs
Trusted brands and products
Providing best range and value, fresher food,
healthier options and everyday needs for our
customers in Australia and New Zealand
Sustainability
A leader in sustainability to create a
positive impact for generations to come
Business platforms
Leading business platforms built
over many years enabling our
business activities
Financial
Strong balance sheet and disciplined
capital allocation to drive sustainable
growth and shareholder value
Platforms & Partners
Primary Connect
Digital Partnerships & Data
B2C Food
Stores eCommerce Products
Our Value Drivers Our Business Activities
In F21, the six key priorities reflect the Group’s transformation into a food and everyday needs ecosystem which is enabled by our purpose, to create better experiences together for a better tomorrow.
Better Together for a Better
Tomorrow for our Customers,
Teams and Communities
Delivering on our
strategic priorities
The Group was proud to be ranked first in Australia, and 49th globally in the 2020 Refinitiv Diversity & Inclusion Index, as the most diverse and inclusive company. In F21, we continued to make good progress on our holistic diversity and inclusion agenda, with a key focus on reconciliation, cultural inclusion, gender diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion. Some highlights include receiving AWEI gold tier status for a fourth consecutive year and the WGEA Employer of Choice citation. We also delivered 85 actions as part of our two‑year Reconciliation Action Plan, partnered with the NAIDOC Week Committee for a third year, and continued the success of our Refugee Employment Program in partnership with Community Corporate, successfully placing 200 refugees into roles in Woolworths Supermarkets, Metro Food Stores and fulfilment centres across Australia. F22 will see an increased focus on our accessibility agenda and more work will be done to support our commitment of offering equal opportunities for all. Launch of our third mini-Supermarket for special schools at Black Mountain School in Canberra, NSW. For more information on this initiative go to page 27.
2021 Better
Tomorrow
achievements
Provided the equivalent of
> 24 M meals through our food rescue partners to alleviate food insecurity
Most diverse and inclusive company in Australia in the 2020 Refinitiv Diversity & Inclusion Index
Animal Welfare
First Australian and New Zealand retailer to achieve Tier 2 in the global Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare
WooliesX scaled
its convenience
propositions in
response to
increased demand
in F21 as more and
more customers
chose contactless,
COVIDSafe shopping
experiences.
To continue to meet rapidly increasing demand, we announced plans for our first automated customer fulfilment centre to be built in Auburn, NSW, set to open in 2024. The facility will be built in partnership with Knapp, whose automation technology will help Woolworths’ personal shoppers pick and dispatch up to 50,000 home deliveries a week in Western Sydney and better serve their growing online grocery needs. This will build on recent investments with Takeoff’s micro‑fulfilment technology (using Knapp automation) now live at Carrum Downs and Maroochydore in Australia, and Moorehouse and Penrose in New Zealand. In F21, eCommerce sales accounted for 8.5% of total sales as we continue to see more and more customers choosing eCommerce services to complement their in‑store shopping experiences.
Accelerate Digital,
eCom and Convenience
for our increasingly
Connected Customers
More
convenience
for customers
in F
629
stores with Direct to boot services
425
Same Day Delivery stores with 1 hour delivery window
232
Delivery Now stores
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Better together in partnership
The creation of a win-win partnership was at the core of the rationale for the Endeavour Group separation. Post demerger, Woolworths Group and Endeavour Group will continue to work together to retain ongoing benefits, including the infrastructure built by Woolworths Group across its core competencies. The key benefits under the partnership agreements include a framework that supports joint growth opportunities and further develops capabilities for mutual benefit; enables both groups to maintain the synergies and collaborative relationships, and supports Endeavour Group with continuity of its operations. This is enabled by key agreements in place across:
At the end of June, the
demerger of Endeavour
Group was successfully
completed following
a multi‑year journey to
separate the business.
The separation process formally began on 3 July 2019, when Woolworths Group announced its intention to combine its drinks and hospitality businesses to create Endeavour Group through a restructure of Endeavour Drinks and subsequent merger with ALH Group.
This was completed in February 2020; however, the separation anticipated for later that year was delayed to 2021 given the prioritisation of both groups’ COVID‑19 responses. Both businesses continued to work on the separation as well as establishing the partnership agreements to support the ongoing relationship between the groups.
Work on the separation formally recommenced in February 2021. A strong and experienced executive team and board was assembled to take the business forward following the appointment of Steve Donohue as CEO and Peter Hearl as Chairman in 2019.
Following formal approval at the General Meeting on 18 June, Endeavour Group was successfully separated on 28 June by way of a demerger, with eligible shareholders receiving one Endeavour Group share for every share held in Woolworths Group.
The demerger of Endeavour Group required an enormous combined effort from team members across both businesses and we look forward to being better together in partnership with Endeavour Group for many years to come.
Stand up
Endeavour Group
Steve Donohue, Endeavour Group CEO and Brad Banducci, Woolworths Group CEO and Managing Director.
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Woolworths Group’s
investment in Quantium
aims to transform the
rapidly evolving retail
sector to help better
service our customers
and support our team
and supplier partners.
Announced in April of this year, Woolworths Group strengthened its partnership with Quantium by increasing its shareholding from 47% to 75%.
Quantium is an industry leader in advanced analytics, working across a broad range of industries, including retail & FMCG, banking & financial services, and health & government. For the last eight years Woolworths Group and Quantium have partnered to better understand our customers through the responsible use of data.
Quantium will become a key part of Woolworths Group, while retaining its senior leadership team and continuing to operate in sectors outside of retail. In addition to the strategic partnership, new business Q‑Retail was created to bring together the best data science and advanced analytics and retail capabilities from across Quantium and Woolworths Group. Specifically, Q‑Retail will focus on delivering Woolworths Group’s Advanced Analytics Plan and commercialising retail products globally.
Combined with the Group’s strategic focus on connected and seamless customer experiences, advanced analytics will be key to improving ranges and services as well as support provided to team members and supplier partners. As the retail industry continues to rapidly change, Woolworths Group recognises that the way in which data is gathered, interpreted and protected is becoming ever more important.
Evolve our Portfolio and
Build Strong Adjacencies
Building strong
adjacencies
Announced a strategic investment in PFD Food Services as a logical adjacency for Woolworths Group to further support its growing food and everyday needs ecosystem.
SEPTEMBER 2020 Launched Woolworths at Work, a procurement solution that supports businesses with a streamlined shopping experience and dedicated support, transforming how they manage spending and budget.
Announced the formation of a stand-alone business, Greenstock, to support the Group’s growth and deliver on the combined red meat needs of partners across retail, international and wholesale.
Announced an increase in holding in Quantium from 47% to 75%, as Quantium becomes a key part of Woolworths Group, while retaining its senior leadership team and continuing to operate in sectors outside of retail.
Woolworths Group’s venture capital arm W23 announced an investment in Australian startup Marketplacer whose platform is used by a number of global retailers exploring third-party marketplace strategies. The partnership will play a key role in powering the Group’s own digital improvements ahead of the launch of a marketplace offering for woolworths.com.au.
Woolworths Group announced the launch of Wpay to offer end-to-end payment solutions to merchants outside of the Group.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Over the last 12 months we have remained committed to our purpose of being better together for a better tomorrow and have made significant progress in transforming our business for a new era of Woolworths Group. Our team also continues to operate with vigilance, great care and resilience as we manage the ongoing impacts of COVID.
Since the escalation of the Delta outbreak in Australia, I again am humbled and proud of our team and their dedication to do what is right. As part of our ambition for a better tomorrow we also recognise the role we play in creating a safe place for our team as well as our customers. This purpose has guided our response in supporting vaccination efforts where possible to protect our wider communities.
A year driven
by purpose
Delivering for our
shareholders
Our busy agenda in F21 included the successful completion of a key milestone at the end of F21 with the demerger of Endeavour Group. We are confident that it will create value for shareholders with each business now able to focus on their core customer offering and new growth opportunities while continuing to benefit from a strong partnership.
We also completed a number of investments to support our continued growth. This included our increased investment in Quantium and the completion of our strategic investment in PFD Food Services, a logical adjacency for the Group and our growing ecosystem.
Woolworths Group has declared a final dividend of 55 cents per share bringing the full year dividend to 108 cents per share. Together with the H2 dividend that Endeavour Group is expected to pay, the combined dividend is broadly in line with the improvement in Woolworths Group NPAT before significant items of 22.9%.
It is also pleasing to announce the return of $2 billion to shareholders by way of an off‑market buy‑back. Together with the final dividend, this is expected to return $1.1 billion of franking credits to shareholders. The ability to return this capital to our shareholders reflects the strength of our business and our solid balance sheet position which also provides sufficient capital to continue to invest in growth opportunities.
Doing the right thing
We have made pleasing progress on our sustainability agenda in F21; however, we recognise there is still much to do to continue to have a positive impact on our wider communities.
Across our pillars of People, Planet and Product there have been a number of achievements, including the recognition for our work to improve diversity and inclusion, the signing of our first renewable power purchase agreement, and initiatives to make being healthier easier for our customers with the launch of initiatives such as the online platform HealthyLife.
We also recognised that we need to do more to listen and learn when it comes to our commitment to reconciliation. In April of this year the Group made the decision it would not proceed with the proposed Dan Murphy's store in Darwin following an independent review of the development which was commissioned by the Group in December. The report highlighted where we failed to meet our aspirations and standards in our purpose and values, and in doing so, has emboldened us to take meaningful steps forward which are consistent with our purpose and commitment to reconciliation.
To reflect our commitment to our purpose and values, we have updated our remuneration incentives from F22 to include the Group’s reputation, which will be externally and independently measured. We considered this to be an important step to align our internal practices on meeting customers and community expectations in order to operate as a responsible corporate citizen. During the year, we made key executive appointments to provide more focus and structure for our commitment to always do the right thing. David Walker was appointed Chief Risk Officer and Alex Holt was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer to reflect the increasing focus in each area.
Late last year my fellow directors and I were pleased to welcome Maxine Brenner to the Woolworths Group Board following the retirement of long‑standing board member, Jillian Broadbent. I have no doubt that Maxine’s skills and experience will add tremendous value as Chair of the Risk Committee and to the Woolworths Group Board.
Looking ahead
I would also like to personally extend my thanks to our team, especially those at the frontline of our operations as they continue to make sure customers have access to their essential needs.
In conclusion, despite the uncertain operating environment ahead, I am excited about the next era for Woolworths Group. By focusing on our core businesses, investing in our supply chain, leveraging our strong partnerships and continuing to be guided by our purpose and values, we will continue to create value for all stakeholders while striving for a better tomorrow.
Gordon Cairns CHAIRMAN
F21 Final Dividend
55 c
14.6% from F
F21 shareholder returns 2
$ 1.3 B
1 Group before significant items. 2 Based on payments during the year.
Net profit after tax attributable to Woolworths Group shareholders 1
$ 1,972 M
22.9% from F
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1 Before significant items.
We have also made good progress during the year building out the Group’s ecosystem through a series of strategic partnerships, investments and new businesses. In June, we completed our strategic investment in PFD Food Services to expand our food offering into new markets. We know how important leveraging data and analytics is in the retail industry of the future, so we’ve increased our ownership of Quantium and created a partnership called Q‑Retail to accelerate our advanced analytics capabilities. We’ve also established a number of new businesses, including Greenstock, Wpay and HealthyLife to provide greater value to our customers and meet their changing needs.
We are also continuing to invest in our supply chain transformation which will deliver the capacity and capability needed to support future growth. In F we opened Melbourne Fresh DC, as well as commenced work on the Moorebank NDC. This multi‑year transformation will enable expanded range and better availability for our customers, as well as ensuring faster, fresher and more efficient deliveries to our stores and through our supply chain.
Business performance
The Group’s trading performance in F was strong with sales growth of 5.7% and Group EBIT 1 increasing by 13.7%.
In Australian Food, H1 saw strong sales growth as a result of our successful Disney+ Ooshies and glass container campaigns and elevated demand due to lockdowns, whereas H2 sales were impacted by cycling COVID in the final four months of the year. Full year Australian Food sales increased by 5.4%, with EBIT 1 increasing by 9.0%.
Our WooliesX digital and eCommerce business had another year of exceptional growth, with eCommerce sales increasing by 74.7% compared to the prior year. To meet customer demand, we continued to scale up our convenience propositions with an expanded range of Home Delivery and Pick up options.
In New Zealand Food, sales growth in H1 was impacted by low market growth, particularly during the summer tourist
season. In H2, sales declined 5.5% as the business cycled New Zealand’s restrictive lockdown period. EBIT for the year declined by 4.6% reflecting lower sales.
BIG W’s momentum continued with another strong year of improved customer scores, strong sales growth of 11.6% and EBIT increasing over 300% in the year to $172 million. H sales growth moderated as expected but remained positive with an increased focus on digital and eCommerce and providing customers with safe and convenient shopping options.
Working towards
a better tomorrow
Right from the start of COVID, we have prioritised being COVIDSafe and this has continued in F21. We’ve partnered with the Federal Government and other food retailers, to establish pop‑up vaccination clinics at our food‑related distribution centres, as well as increasing access to vaccines for our store teams, who are critical to ensure a stable supply of food and everyday needs for our customers. No team member should have to choose between their health and their pay, particularly as we know vaccination will make shopping safer for our teams and customers, and we have revised our vaccination leave policy to reflect this.
Operating sustainably is not only important to our customers, but it’s increasingly intrinsic to our business and the way we operate. Setting ambitious and measurable sustainability goals as part of our Sustainability Plan 2025 launched in November last year will help us to play our part in making the world a better place for a better tomorrow. Our people are the core of our business and we’re continuing to focus on our holistic diversity and inclusion agenda, with more work to be done in F22. I’m proud that our strong diversity has been recognised and celebrated through a number of external awards, including the WGEA Employer of Choice for gender equality citation and AWEI gold tier status for LGBTQ+ inclusion for the fourth consecutive year.
We acknowledge the environmental impact of our business and we continue to focus on reducing our footprint with the installation of solar panels in over 190 Woolworths Group sites. We also signed our first power purchase agreement in NSW in F21 as we transition to 100% renewable energy by
We remain committed to resolving the salaried team underpayments announced in 2019. To date, more than $350 million has been paid to current and former salaried team members. During the year, we launched a program to enhance our pay process integrity and to help ensure it doesn’t happen again.
F22 Outlook
Brad Banducci CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
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Group Financial Performance
F21 was a significant year in the history of Woolworths Group following the successful separation of Endeavour Group at the end of June. We also made progress in laying the foundations for the new Woolworths Group, a more focused food and everyday needs ecosystem with a customer 1st^ team 1 st^ culture at its core, and enabled by data and technology. The Group’s F21 trading performance was strong with sales growth of 5.7%, and EBIT growth of 13.7% despite H2 EBIT growth in some businesses being impacted by cycling COVID from late February in the prior year.
Group sales
$ 67,278 M
5.7% from F Sales from continuing operations increased 4.9% with strong full year sales growth for Australian Food and BIG W, particularly in H1, somewhat offset by lower sales from New Zealand Food. Total Group sales increased by 5.7%, aided by growth of 9.3% from Endeavour Group.
Group eCommerce sales
$ 5,602 M
58.1% from F Group eCommerce sales increased by 58.1%. Continuing operations eCommerce sales increased 63.3% with penetration on the same basis increasing 3 pts to 8.5% of sales. Average weekly traffic to Group digital assets from continuing operations also increased materially with 17.2 million visits per week during F21.
Gross profit as a % of sales 1
29.3 %
44 bps from F Gross profit increases across the Group reflected stock loss improvements, favourable product mix changes, fewer markdowns and less clearance activity.
Significant items before tax
$ 59 M
Significant items reflect costs associated with the supply chain network review, Metro Food Stores asset impairment, gain on previously held equity interest in Quantium and transaction costs.
Finance costs 2
$ 613 M 8.5% from F
Finance costs declined on the prior year due to lower non‑lease interest expense as a result of lower average net debt and lower borrowing costs.
NPAT from continuing operations attributable to equity holders of the parent entity 1
$ 1,504 M
20.1% from F NPAT from continuing operations increased on the prior year reflecting the increase in EBIT and a reduction in finance costs.
1 Continuing operations before significant items. 2 Group before significant items.
Group EBIT 2
$ 3,663 M
13.7% from F Group EBIT increased by 13.7% to $3,663 million driven by a 9% increase from Australia Food, an increase of over 300% from BIG W and a 22.6% increase from Endeavour Group. EBIT from continuing operations before significant items increased 11.1%.
Cost of doing business as a % of sales 1
24.4 %
16 bps from F Cost of doing business (CODB) % increased by 16 bps driven by higher CODB (%) in New Zealand and a higher contribution from BIG W to the Group total which has a higher‑than‑average CODB (%).