Bag ban hurts Woolies

THE move to ban single-use plastic bags has hit sales at Woolworths with the boss of the supermarket giant saying blowback from shoppers has been greater than that in other countries.

Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci said the shift to begin charging shoppers for thicker, reusable bags has been “a lot harder” than they originally thought. Sales growth at Woolworths slumped to 1.3 per cent in the seven weeks from June 25.