Woolworths has reported strong performance in its online and on-demand services for the year ending 29 June 2025, with Woolies Dash seeing a notable surge in usage.

According to the group’s latest trading update, online operations accounted for 6.6% of total food and fashion sales. The Woolies Dash service, launched in late 2020 to offer rapid home deliveries, recorded a 41.6% increase over the period, while overall online food sales climbed by 32.9%.

The food division outpaced the market, with turnover rising by 11.0% and concession sales up 7.7%. Meanwhile, online sales in the fashion, beauty, and home categories rose 22.8%, contributing to a 4.7% gain in turnover and a 5.1% increase in concession sales across comparable stores.

Woolworths clarified that this year’s results are not directly comparable to the previous financial year, which included an extra trading week.

To boost the efficiency of its online services, Woolworths opened its first "dark store"—a fulfillment center dedicated exclusively to online orders—in Cape Town in August 2024. This facility has helped improve delivery times and product availability by removing competition between online and in-store orders.

The retailer confirmed that the dark store model has been a strong success, enabling higher order volumes and better scalability. As a result, Woolies Dash had previously seen a 71.2% growth in the year ending June 2024, with further expansion of dark stores planned.

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