Woolworths H1 net loss A$972.7 mln vs A$1.3 bln net profit A$3.2...

• Woolworths H1 net loss A$972.7 mln vs A$1.3 bln net profit
• A$3.2 bln impairment charge on home improvement
• Promotes food boss Banducci to CEO

(Recasts, adds shares, chairman quote, investor quote)

Woolworths Ltd (WOW), Australia's top grocer, on Friday posted its first loss in 23 years and said it hired a new chief executive officer, drawing a line under a disastrous foray into hardware and pledging a return to supermarket basics.

The A$972.7 million ($704 million) first-half loss included a A$3.2 billion write-off on its aborted Masters hardware chain, giving new CEO Brad Banducci, Woolworths' former head of food, a clean slate to reverse its slide against traditional rival Coles and newcomers like Aldi and Costco.

But Woolworths Chairman Gordon Cairns warned that a full recovery could still be years away, as food and liquor sales grew just 0.7 percent against a 4.2 percent rise posted two days earlier by Coles, owned by Wesfarmers Ltd (WES). Woolworths' half-year sales fell 1.4 percent to A$32 billion.

"This turnaround is three to five years and it will not be three to five minutes," Cairns said when questioned on the choice of Banducci following a six-month global search for a new CEO to replace Grant O'Brien.

Woolworths shares fell by up to 7 percent in early trading, in a flat overall market, but recovered by early afternoon to be up 3.5 percent as investors cheered the Masters impairment and looked ahead to a new chapter in the company's 92-year history.

FRESH FACE? Banducci comes into the job amid swirling takeover rumours and with the baggage of having led, in his former role at the company, a year-long restructure aimed at reclaiming supermarket shoppers lost in a price war with Coles and Aldi [ALDIEI.UL].

While that reorganisation has yet to reverse Woolworths' sliding market share, analysts say the Masters debacle limited Woolworths' ability to compete aggressively in supermarkets, a burden that will be lifted early in Banducci's tenure.

"We're only looking to consider (buying) Woolworths if some of their results improve but we won't move by the prospect of them doing better," said Platypus Asset Management chief investment officer Donald Williams, who sold out of Woolworths when its hardware problems surfaced several years ago.

In its final result for Masters after Woolworths said last month the business would be sold or liquidated, the joint venture with U.S.-based Lowe's Companies Inc fell 21 percent deeper into the red with a pre-tax loss of A$125 million.

Wesfarmers said Bunnings' pre-tax earnings grew 13 percent to A$701 million in the same period.

Woolworths cut its interim dividend to 44 Australian cents, from 67 cents previously. ($1 = 1.3822 Australian dollars)