Lion King Ooshies were a major factor is a sales spike at Woolworths in the first eight weeks of the financial year.
In its annual results, the supermarket chain posted a 7.2% lift in net profit after tax of $1.75 billion.
Sales picked up in the second half of the year after a slow first six months.
The first half impacted by the disruption caused by the removal of single‑use plastic bags, the Little Shop collectables at competitor Coles, subdued consumer demand and volatile weather.
In the second half sales rose by 3.9% resulting in full year rise of 3.1%.
"Comparable sales growth for the first eight weeks of F20 has been strong at approximately 7.5% reflecting lower sales growth in the prior year and the success of the Lion King collectables program," the company says.
Sales growth is expected to moderate over the course of the financial year.
At Coles, collectables also played a major role in annual sales.
Full year sales revenue rose by 3.1% to $35 billion
"Sales revenue growth was driven by online, new stores and successful collectable campaigns including Little Shop in the first quarter," says Coles
And Little Shop 2 is helping sales in the first quarter of the 2020 financial year.
"Little Shop 2 has again resonated with our customers and is driving strong engagement," says Coles.
"As envisaged, cycling the comparable sales growth from last year’s highly successful Little Shop campaign will be challenging given competitor activity in the market."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.