C12 Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing

Leverage from two-tier wages

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 17-Oct-14

The new enterprise agreements for warehouse staff at Coca-Cola Amatil and Woolworths provide for new employees to be paid lower wages than existing staff. The new agreement for staff at Woolworths’ distribution facility in Brisbane includes a four per cent pay rise for current employees, higher annual leave loadings and an increase in loadings for shift workers

CORPORATES
COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, HOLDING REDLICH, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

Vintners toast Aussie’s falling value

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Original article by Tim Binsted
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 16-Oct-14

Wirra Wirra Vineyards plans to capitalise on the recent fall in the value of the Australian dollar by increasing its export volumes to around 20 per cent in the next several years. Exports currently account for 10-15 of the South Australian wine producer’s output. Winemakers’ Federation of Australia CEO Paul Evans notes that the best outcome for the industry would be for the currency to fall to around $US0.80

CORPORATES
WIRRA WIRRA VINEYARDS, WINEMAKERS’ FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, RABOBANK AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Coopers puts up ‘not for sale’ sign

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 : 8-Oct-14

The 143 stakeholders in family-owned Coopers Brewery recently voted to amend its constitution. It means that the valuations issued for the shares, which can only be traded among family members, will not be influenced by takeover offers from outside parties such as major rivals Lion or Carlton & United Breweries. Lion had launched an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the South Australian beer group in 2005 that was worth $A420m. The price per share at the time if disregarding the bid was $A190 compared with the $A310 offered, or $A260 based on the original approach

CORPORATES
COOPERS BREWERY LIMITED, CARLTON UNITED BREWERS, FOSTER’S GROUP LIMITED, SABMILLER PLC, LION PTY LTD, KIRIN HOLDINGS COMPANY LIMITED, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Casella senses richer picking in premium

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Original article by Julie-Anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 30-Sep-14

Australian export success story Casella Family Brands plans to target US consumers with premium wines using the Casella label. The move is aimed at capitalising on growing US interest in more upmarket wines than the company’s highly popular but low-priced Yellow Tail label. John Casella says Australian wine producers need to more actively target on-premise trade in the US, which has tended to be neglected due to a focus on wine retailers

CORPORATES
CASELLA FAMILY BRANDS, CASELLA WINES PTY LTD, YELLOW TAIL WINES

KKR tipped to win Treasury Wine

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Original article by Simon Evans, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 11 : 29-Sep-14

Competing, revised takeover offers were lodged on 26 September 2014 for Australian-listed Treasury Wine Estates (TWE). It is believed that the directors will now recommend acceptance of the offer received from the consortium of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Rhone Capital, rather than that of rival US-based private equity firm TPG Capital. The KKR bid is worth around $A5.20 a share. TWE’s earnings are being boosted by the recent decline in the Australian dollar

CORPORATES
TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, KKR AND COMPANY LP, KOHLBERG KRAVIS ROBERTS AND COMPANY, RHONE CAPITAL LLC, TPG CAPITAL LP, PENFOLDS WINES PTY LTD, WOLF BLASS WINES PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Treasury in hunt for US assets

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 25-Aug-14

Treasury Wine Estates has reduced costs by $A35m since Michael Clarke became CEO earlier in 2014. Clarke says the group’s major shareholders are very supportive of plans to pursue growth via "bolt-on" acquisitions in the US. He adds that both of Treasury’s private equity suitors have also supported his growth strategy. Treasury’s 2013-14 net loss of $A100.9m was primarily due to some $A281m worth of write-downs

CORPORATES
TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, KKR AND COMPANY LP, KOHLBERG KRAVIS ROBERTS AND COMPANY, TPG CAPITAL LP, FOSTER’S GROUP LIMITED, BERINGER WINE ESTATES HOLDINGS INCORPORATED, LUCOZADE

Treasury thirsty for acquisitions

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 19 : 22-Aug-14

Treasury Wine Estates has posted a 2013-14 full-year net loss of $A100.9m. EBITS of $A193m was not enough to offset provisioning worth $A280.6m for impaired assets. EBITS in the Australasian operations fell 31.5% to $A75.1m, and that for the US division was down 7% at $A80m once foreign exchange rate fluctuations were taken into account. On 21 August 2014 the stock closed $A0.13 lower at $A5.20, also the offer price in rival takeover bids by private equity firms TPG Capital and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts with Rhone Capital. CEO Mike Clarke said the company wants to expand in the US premium wines segment

CORPORATES
TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, KOHLBERG KRAVIS ROBERTS AND COMPANY, KKR AND COMPANY LP, RHONE CAPITAL LLC, TPG CAPITAL LP, PENFOLDS WINES PTY LTD, ROSEMOUNT ESTATES PTY LTD, LINDEMANS WINES PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Whisky investment not a bad drop

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Original article by Simon Evans, Nassim Khadem
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 14-Aug-14

Australian investors have turned their attention to rare aged whisky, which they believe can be a worthwhile addition to their portfolios. Demand for this type of asset is strong, with investors willing to pay up to $A30,000 a bottle. Malt Whisky Society of Australia chairman Craig Daniels says speculators have entered the market. CPA Australia policy adviser Michael Davison warns about risks associated with investing in whisky by self-managed superannuation funds

CORPORATES
MALT WHISKY SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, CPA AUSTRALIA, DAN MURPHY’S, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, MARIN ACCOUNTANTS PTY LTD

Aussie wine is a hard sell in China

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Original article by Andrew Burrell
The Australian – Page: 19 : 12-Aug-14

Resources entrepreneur Andrew Forrest has launched a new push to boost agricultural exports by Australian producers to China. However Rathbone Wine Group MD Darren Rathbone warns that in his experience there is a significant and lengthy effort needed to gain entry into the Chinese market, and the strategy may not save the struggling wine industry in Australia from further business collapses. Rathbone has established his own distribution network for the Yering Station, Mount Langi Ghiran and Xanadu brands, but says Chinese wine consumers still prefer French labels due to the perceived prestige

CORPORATES
RATHBONE WINE GROUP PTY LTD, YERING ESTATE PTY LTD, MOUNT LANGI GHIRAN ESTATE, XANADU WINES PTY LTD, NUFARM LIMITED – ASX NUF, LVMH MOET HENNESSY LOUIS VUITTON SA, GUCCI GROUP NV

Kennett to steer Coles supplier charter

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 20 : 7-Aug-14

John Durkan, CEO of dominant supermarkets chain Coles, has announced a new charter to safeguard the interests of its suppliers. The initiative is in addition to the ongoing talks by Coles, rival Woolworths and the Australian Food & Grocery Council on a code of conduct for the sector, which have entered a consultation period to last until the end of August 2014. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission had accused Coles of forcing small food manufacturers into contributing $A16m to the cost of a supply chain overhaul. The new charter will be overseen by ex-Victorian premier Jeff Kennett

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND GROCERY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA