Net Profit After Tax Growth
Group NPAT increased 9.3% to $1.6 billion for the half, driven by strong earnings from Bunnings, Kmart Group and growth platforms Lithium and Health.
Dividend and Capital Return
Board declared a fully franked interim dividend of $1.02 per share, a 7.4% increase year‑on‑year; a $1.50 per share capital management distribution was paid in December.
Divisional Earnings Growth
Divisional earnings rose 6.8% for the half, with broad-based earnings growth across the portfolio (all divisions except Officeworks grew earnings).
Bunnings Strong Performance
Bunnings sales grew 4% across product categories and segments; earnings (ex-property) increased 5% to $1.39 billion, supported by new warehouse tool shop rollout (283 stores) and $120m+ of price investment.
Kmart Group Momentum
Kmart Group earnings increased 6.1% to $683 million, driven by Anko product innovation, growth in customer numbers and continued value positioning (one-up and two-up price tiers).
WesCEF / Lithium Progress
WesCEF earnings rose 18.1% to $209 million; lithium delivered a positive EBIT contribution of $6 million for the first time, mine and concentrator operating above nameplate towards period end, and first high‑quality hydroxide product produced at Covalent.
Health Division Growth
Wesfarmers Health reported headline Priceline network sales up 14.4%; adjusted earnings (ex-amortization and prior restructuring) up 9.8%, supported by network expansion, promotions, private label and wholesale momentum.
Sustainability & Safety Improvements
Group TRIFR improved from 9.9 to 9.6; Scope 1 and 2 market‑based emissions fell by more than 27% half‑on‑half following retail businesses achieving 100% renewable energy in 2025.
Cash Generation & Asset Realisations
Free cash flow increased 35.6% to $2.75 billion (benefitting from proceeds from asset sales including Coregas and BWP Management); divisional cash realisation remained strong at 103%.
Balance Sheet & Funding Headroom
Net financial debt increased to $4.9 billion after shareholder distributions but the group maintained strong investment‑grade ratings; average cost of funds reduced from 3.8% to 3.6% and committed unused bank facilities of ~ $1.3 billion remained available.
Technology & Productivity Initiatives
Group accelerating AI and digital productivity investments (OneDigital/OnePass/retail media), with practical deployments at Bunnings (team chatbot ~100k answers, AI markdown tool saved ~100k hours) expected to deliver ongoing productivity and customer benefits.