G41 Food Retailing

Woolworths takes hard line with Lew over DJs bid

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15/20 : 1-Jul-14

Woolworths has declared that its offers for David Jones and Country Road are "best and final". The South African company announced on 30 June 2014 that its bids of $A4 a share for David Jones and $A17 a share for Country Road will not be increased. It is not known yet how prominent investor Solomon Lew will respond to the announcement. Lew has stakes of 11.8 per cent in Country Road and 9.9 per cent in David Jones

CORPORATES
DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. TAKEOVERS PANEL, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, NM ROTHSCHILD AND SONS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Myer sacks exec over false employment claims

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 21 : 25-Jun-14

Australian department stores chain Myer in mid-June 2014 appointed Andrew Flanagan its new strategy and business development GM. It pointed out at the time that he had a wide-ranging background in the retailing sector, including a role at the Inditex Group of Spain that owns clothing stores business Zara. However the latter then said it had never employed Flanagan, and Myer on 24 June announced Flanagan’s dismissal. Court action is also possible over the deception

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, ZARA, INDITEX SA, TESCO PLC, WAL-MART STORES INCORPORATED, QUEST PERSONNEL, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, SPECIALTY FASHION GROUP LIMITED – ASX SFH

Coles takes a bite of UK’s Tyrells Crisps

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 19/23 : 25-Jun-14

David Milner, CEO of UK premium snack foods company Tyrrells Crisps, has visited Australia to announce a new alliance with supermarkets chain Coles. The retailer will sell the product line in its 700 stores, and Milner says that if sales can be grown to Stg2m ($A3.6m) per annum a local processing plant may also be rolled out. Fresh potato production in Australia has declined 15% over the past 10 years while imports have risen from $A36m to $A132m. The domestic potato crisps market is dominated by Frito-Lay Australia and Snack Foods

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, TYRRELLS POTATO CRISPS, INVESTCORP SA, GUCCI GROUP NV, TIFFANY AND COMPANY, HELLY HANSEN, HORTICULTURE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, PEPSICO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FRITO-LAY AUSTRALIA, THE SMITH’S SNACKFOOD COMPANY LIMITED, SNACK FOODS LIMITED, ARNOTT’S BISCUITS LIMITED, CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY, PROCTER AND GAMBLE COMPANY, MARS INCORPORATED, THE KETTLE COOKED CHIP COMPANY PTY LTD, TESCO PLC

Business doubts over backdated tax refunds

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mark Ludlow, Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 24-Jun-14

The reintroduction of the carbon tax repeal bill to the House of Representatives on 23 June 2014 has prompted businesses to consider their actions if the carbon tax is indeed abolished. Diane Smith-Gander, the director of Wesfarmers and chairman of Transfield Services, spoke about the impact of the repeal of the tax on retailers at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia conference. The fact that the Australian Government wants the abolition of the carbon tax to be retrospective to 1 July will create problems for retailers, because of shoppers being entitled to a refund of any carbon tax component

CORPORATES
TRANSFIELD SERVICES LIMITED – ASX TSE, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WESFARMERS BUNNINGS LIMITED, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGK, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ENERGY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, STANWELL CORPORATION LIMITED, CS ENERGY LIMITED, MACQUARIE GENERATION, INTERNATIONAL POWER (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Vote on hold as Lew lifts DJs stake

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 21 : 20-Jun-14

Australian-listed department stores chain David Jones (DJs) has informed the market that it has asked the Federal Court to delay the stockholder vote on the friendly takeover bid by Woolworths. The deal worth $A2.15bn with the South African suitor has been placed into jeopardy by revelations that retailing sector identity Solomon Lew now holds 9.89% of the target. There are fears his goal is to build a blocking stake, to force Woolworths into buying him out of Country Road. He owns 11.8% of that business and Woolworths close to 88%. The DJs investor ballot will now be held on 14 July 2014 rather than 30 June

CORPORATES
DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS

Lew ups stake in DJs to 9.9pc

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19/24 : 6/19/2014

The takeover worth $A2.2bn of Australian department stores chain David Jones (DJs) by South Africa’s Woolworths will need to be approved by DJs shareholders in a vote on 30 June 2014. However, a complication may have arisen under collateral benefits law, as retailing sector stalwart Solomon Lew has disclosed he now holds 9.9% of the target. While his motives are not clear, there is speculation he wants to push Woolworths into buying his 11.8% blocking stake in Country Road. Such a side deal would attract scrutiny by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and the Takeovers Panel

CORPORATES
DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. TAKEOVERS PANEL, AUSTRALIAN RETAIL INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BLACKROCK INCORPORATED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSBIL DEXIA LIMITED, PERPETUAL INVESTMENTS, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, PENGANA CAPITAL LIMITED, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT