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Pharmacy giant’s 100-year plan

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 16 : 12-Dec-23

Sigma Health has forecast that its merger with Chemist Warehouse will generate annual cost savings of $60m. The combined group will boost EBIT in excess of $495m and a market capitalisation of about $8.8bn. Chemist Warehouse operates a network of more than 600 franchised stores, while Sigma owns the Amcal and Discount Drug Store brands and a pharmaceuticals wholesaling arm. The merged group will be headed by Sigma CEO Vikesh Ramsunder and chairman Michael Sammells. Chemist Warehouse CEO and co-founder Mario Verrocchi says that listing the company on the sharemarket is a "life dream". Further expanding the Chemist Warehouse brand overseas will be part of the merged group’s 100-year growth strategy.

CORPORATES
SIGMA HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX SIG, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

Emails to stay secret after Stokes covers Nine’s costs

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Dec-23

Seven and Kerry Stokes’ private company Australian Capital Equity funded Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation action against Nine Entertainment via loan agreements with Roberts-Smith, with Roberts-Smith currently appealing the decision. Nine has been pursuing Seven and ACE for costs in relation to the failed action, and Stokes has now agreed to cover Nine’s costs. As a result, he has avoided the release of thousands of emails between him, his "corporate fixer" Bruce McWilliam, and Roberts-Smith’s legal team

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL EQUITY PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Coverage by ABC favoured Yes vote

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Dec-23

The ABC has released its 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum report, with editorial policies manager Mark Maley concluding that the public broadcaster’s coverage of the referendum favoured the Yes vote. The report revealed that ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron had received 382 complaints relating to the referendum coverage, with 82 per cent relating to claims of bias or lack of balance. 121 of the complaints were investigated, but only four were found to have breached editorial standards.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Lynas: rare earth needs critical mass

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 16 : 30-Nov-23

Lynas Rare Earths’ CEO Amanda Lacaze has declined to comment on when the company’s cracking and leaching plant in Western Australia will be fully commissioned. She has told shareholders that most of the plant has now been commissioned, and Lynas is awaiting regulatory clearance for the facility’s gas treatment plant. Lacaze added that Lynas is open to processing rare earths ore from rival companies, although it has yet to secure any such agreements. Lynas also intends to build a rare earths plant in the US.

CORPORATES
LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC

Free-to-air TV beats streaming giants for events

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Original article by Zoe Samios, Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 29-Nov-23

The federal government will shortly introduce a bill giving effect to its ‘prominence’ framework for local broadcasters. The legislation will require manufactures of smart TVs to prominently display the channels and apps of free-to-air networks on their interfaces. Streaming companies often pay to have their apps appear in prime positions on connected TV interfaces. The legislation will also include changes to the anti-siphoning rules for major sports events, with free-to-air networks to be given priority in discussions regarding broadcast deals. The government also intends to add women’s sports and para-sports to the anti-siphoning list.

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WA lithium mine pauses production

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Original article by Peter Ker, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 29-Nov-23

Mineral Resources has advised that mining operations at the Wodgina hard rock lithium mine in the Pilbara has resumed following a fire at its processing plant on 24 November. However, Mineral Resources says that processing of spodumene rock is still on hold and it is uncertain as to when this will resume. However, the company does not expect the temporary suspension to have any impact on shipments. It also says the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Wodgina is the world’s third-largest hard rock lithium mine.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

Black Friday sales hit record high

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 29-Nov-23

The Australian Retailers Association recently forecast that consumers will spend $6.36bn across the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. Data showing that retail sales fell by a seasonally 0.2 per cent in October suggests that many consumers had delayed their spending in order to take advantage of the increasingly popular four-day sales event. Retailers are also believed to have offered larger Black Friday/Cyber Monday discounts of up to 30 per cent, compared with about 26 per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, the National Retail Association’s director Rob Godwin says Christmas sales will be a "make-or-break" period for many retailers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL RETAIL ASSOCIATION LIMITED

US miner plotting Australian rare earths processing plant

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 29-Nov-23

US-based mineral sands producer Tronox may build a rare earths processing plant in Western Australia. The company has approached the state government about the plant, which would process a waste by-product of mineral sands mining known as monazite. Tronox proposes to stockpile monazite in WA for 3-5 years to use as feedstock for the plant, while sources have suggested that it may also import monazite from its South African operations to be processed. Tronox has mineral sands mines in WA and NSW. Iluka Resources is also building a plant to process monazite that it has been stockpiling for three decades.

CORPORATES
TRONOX INCORPORATED

Fake website scams: Grim warning to Black Friday shoppers

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Original article by Chloe Whelan
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 21-Nov-23

Australian shoppers are expected to spend $6.36bn in the Black Friday sales, making it the biggest shopping event on the nation’s retail calendar. However, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s deputy chair Catriona Lowe has warned shoppers to be aware of fake websites that replicate the genuine sites of well-known brands. The products sold on these sites are often fake or simply never arrive. Lowe adds that scammers are now paying for their fake websites to appear at the top of internet search results, so consumers may not be able to trust the first listing they see. Data from the National Anti-Scam Centre shows that there have been 2,760 reports of fake online stores so far in 2023.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NATIONAL ANTI-SCAM CENTRE

Bunnings, Kmart and Samsung are Most Trusted Brands in Retail and Consumer Products for 2023

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Nov-23

Roy Morgan has presented the annul Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards for 2023 in the retail and consumer products industries. Hardware brand Bunnings has had a second consecutive victory as the ‘Most Trusted Retail Brand’ in Australia. The ‘Most Trusted Brand in Department & Discount Department Stores’ has been won by Kmart, also repeating its success of a year earlier. South Korea-based multinational Samsung has recorded its second straight victory in the ‘Most Trusted Consumer Products Brand’ category, while Apple is the ‘Most Trusted Technology Brand’ for a second consecutive year. Australia’s largest supermarket chain Woolworths has triumphed once again as the ‘Most Trusted Supermarket Brand’ as well as the ‘Best of the Best’ Most Trusted Brand in Australia for 2023.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED