The chief executive of Coles Group has defended the supermarket chain's right to earn a profit - while arguing its bottom line has been hit by the same cost-of-living crunch affecting customers.
Coles' sales revenue was up 6.8 per cent to $22.2 billion in the 27 weeks to December 31, but its profit fell 3.6 per cent to $594 million when compared to the same period a year ago, the company announced on Tuesday.
