Goyder defends Coles’s conduct amid strong sales

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 21 : 31-Oct-14

The total turnover of retailer Coles during the September 2014 quarter grew 4% to reach $A9.2bn. Across the individual units of the Wesfarmers-owned group, sales at Bunnings were up 11%, those at Officeworks 8% and Kmart 2.9%. At the results presentation on 30 October 2014, Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder rejected claims by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission that Coles supermarkets were guilty of "unconscionable conduct" by pressuring grocery suppliers into making financial contributions

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS BUNNINGS LIMITED, OFFICEWORKS SUPERSTORES PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ZARA, INDITEX SA, TOPSHOP, ARCADIA GROUP PLC, HENNES OCH MAURITZ AB

Tubs of joy: Australians still love ice cream

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Oct-14

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 73 per cent of Australian grocery buyers purchased a tub or carton of ice cream at least once in the year to June 2014. The survey also shows that 19 per cent of Australians purchase ice cream in tubs or cartons once a month, while just three per cent do so every week. Some 20 per cent of grocery buyers purchase Bulla ice cream in an average four weeks, followed by Peters (17 per cent) and Streets (12 per cent)

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, REGAL CREAM PRODUCTS PTY LTD, PETERS ICE CREAM, UNILEVER AUSTRALIA LIMITED, COLES GROUP LIMITED, CONNOISSEUR

Treasury’s premium clear out of Penfolds Grange

Original article by Julie-Anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 & 28 : 30-Oct-14

Treasury Wine Estates MD Mike Clarke refutes claims that the company is providing retailers with discounts on its flagship Penfolds Grange. Some liquor store operators say they have been offered a rebate on the 2009 vintage of up to 30 per cent. Clarke says Treasury has increased its marketing support for retailers after the group opted to release the 2009 and 2010 vintages in the same calendar year

CORPORATES
TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, PENFOLDS WINES PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, DAN MURPHY’S

Meat and greet: where Aussies buy their fresh meat

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-Oct-14

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 73 per cent of grocery buyers in Australian cities bought fresh meat in an average seven-day period in the year to June 2014, compared with 72 per cent in 2010. Meanwhile, the number of grocery buyers in country areas who buy fresh meat has risen from 74 per cent to 77 per cent over the same period. The survey also shows that grocery buyers in the city are more likely than rural shoppers to buy their fresh meat from specialty retailers rather than supermarkets

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Coles was ‘entitled’ to payments

Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 : 20-Oct-14

Ian McLeod, CEO of the Coles retailing arm of Wesfarmers for six years until mid-2014, has rejected allegations by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). The watchdog claims that the supermarkets chain in 2010 acted unconscionably, when it demanded suppliers bear the cost of wastage as well as make payments so that Coles could reach its profit goals. McLeod says no unethical practices were engaged in during the group’s relationships with grocery companies. The ACCC court action names five suppliers as having been affected

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Leverage from two-tier wages

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

Competition watchdog won’t call for Woolies liquor split

Original article by Julie-Anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 22 : 6-Oct-14

A former Woolworths executive has claimed that the retail giant has too much market power in the liquor sector. Tony Leon says Woolworths should be forced to divest one of its liquor chains, as its market dominance allows it to put pressure on liquor suppliers. However, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says forcing companies to offload assets should not be within the regulator’s purview, arguing that it can already address concerns about abuse of market power

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, BWS – BEER WINE SPIRITS, DAN MURPHY’S, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, IBISWORLD PTY LTD, LIQUORLAND (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, VINTAGE CELLARS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FIRST CHOICE LIQUOR SUPERSTORE, AUSTRALIAN LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL RETAILERS ASSOCIATION LIMITED, STEVE’S LIQUOR, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, AUSTRALIAN LIQUOR MARKETERS PTY LTD, CELLARBRATION PTY LTD, BOTTLE-O, IGA LIQUOR

Dan Murphy’s draws on the right connections

Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 19 : 2-Oct-14

Brad Banducci, director of the liquor group at Woolworths, says its Dan Murphy’s chain is about to undergo a major transformation. It is launching the new Connections online sales site, which will eventually have some 20,000 items on offer. This compares with about 8,200 in the "bricks and mortar" outlets, and the demand trends on the internet will in future also influence what lines are stocked in the stores. Suppliers will need to pay a quarter of the retail price to have their products listed, and Woolworths will save on inventory costs

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, DAN MURPHY’S

The drinking habits of AFL supporters

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Sep-14

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 35 per cent of Australians aged 18+ watch the AFL Grand Final on TV. The survey, which was carried out in the year to June 2014, also shows that Brisbane Lions fans are 1.5 times more likely than the average Australian to drink rum in an average four week-period, and 29 per cent more likely to drink premium or imported beer. Meanwhile, Melbourne Demons fans are 79 per cent more likely than the average Australian to drink red wine in an average four weeks, and 92 per cent more likely to have drunk champagne or sparkling wine

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, BRISBANE LIONS FOOTBALL CLUB, MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB, HAWTHORN FOOTBALL CLUB, SYDNEY SWANS FOOTBALL CLUB, ADELAIDE CROWS FOOTBALL CLUB, GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY FOOTBALL CLUB, WESTERN BULLDOGS FOOTBALL CLUB, PORT ADELAIDE FOOTBALL CLUB, CELLARBRATION PTY LTD, TYRRELL’S WINES

Bickford’s cordial: the sweet taste of success

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Sep-14

A Roy Morgan Consumer Source survey has found that 23.9 per cent of Australians aged 14+ bought cordial in an average four-week period in the year to June 2014. This compares with 31 per cent in the year to June 2010. While sales of most cordial brands fell over this period, Bickford’s has bucked the trend. Some 5.5 per cent of Australians bought the brand in the year to June 2014, compared with 3.2 per cent four years earlier. Roy Morgan’s Helix Personas profiling tool shows that members of the high-earning Metrotechs and Leading Lifestyles communities are most likely to buy Bickford’s cordials

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED,{SPAC}BICKFORD’S AUSTRALIA PTY LTD,{SPAC}GOLDEN CIRCLE LIMITED,{SPAC}COTTEE’S,{SPAC}COLES GROUP LIMITED,{SPAC}CASCADE BEVERAGE COMPANY,{SPAC}EXTRA JUICY