Countdown sales rise 1.9% in 1Q as Woolworths looks to Christmas for profit

Countdown sales rise 1.9% in 1Q as Woolworths looks to Christmas for profit
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot Oct. 28 (BusinessDesk) - Sales at Countdown supermarkets rose 1.9 percent in the first quarter of the 2017 financial year, which Australian parent Woolworths attributed to a focus on low prices. New Zealand food sales in the 14 weeks to Oct. 2 were $1.59 billion, up from $1.56 billion in the same quarter of the 2016 financial year, Woolworths said in an update to the Australian stock exchange. In Australian dollars, sales gained 8.1 percent to A$1.5 billion, with the larger gain down to the stronger New Zealand dollar again...