Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci has walked out of a heated interview while being questioned over allegations of price gouging in Australia.
The interview was featured in an episode of ABC Australia's Four Corners, which delved into how the country's biggest supermarket chains profit off rising prices.
Dressed in an employee uniform, Banducci spoke to ABC reporter Angus Grigg, who said the walkout followed a "pretty basic line of questioning" about competition law.
Grigg had asked: "Rod Sims, the former head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), says that we have one of the most concentrated supermarkets [sectors] in the world, is he lying?"
Banducci claimed: "It's not true" before listing how other supermarkets operate close to Woolworths stores.
Grigg interjected, saying: "The former head of the ACCC says" before being cut off himself by Banducci. "Retired… by the way," Banducci said.
Grigg then said: "I don't think you would impugn his integrity and his understanding of competition law. He retired 18 months ago."
Flustered, Banducci asked if that part of the interview can be removed. "I shouldn't have said that," he told Grigg. "We're on the record, you've said it... let's just move on," Grigg responded.
This then prompted Banducci to stand up, telling Grigg "I think I'm done". As he gets ready to walk off, he can be heard saying "I do this with good intent. I don't do this with bad intent."
"You're walking out, really?" Grigg asked.
Banducci is CEO of the Woolworths Group across Australia and New Zealand. In NZ, the company owns Woolworths and Countdown supermarkets.
Speaking to ABC's News Breakfast, Grigg called the move "pretty startling".
"I think it shows you that, there you have the boss of the largest supermarket chain in the country really unwilling to face too many questions," he said.
"It shows how little scrutiny they've had over the years, and I think that's a really big problem."
Banducci later returned to finish the interview, with a startled-looking Grigg saying: "Let's keep going."
The interview comes as the Coles and Woolworths chains, who were both examined on Four Corners, face mounting pressure over the price of food in Australia. Both companies will face a Senate inquiry to investigate their market power and pricing decisions.
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