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Dymocks targets the right sort of lovers

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 10-Sep-14

IBISWorld forecasts that sales of books and print newspapers will decline by 3.8 per cent annually over the next five years due to the growth of digital alternatives. Dymocks is defying this trend, recording same-store sales growth of eight per cent in 2013-14, and by almost 10 per cent overall. MD Steve Cox notes that the retailer’s use of data analytics to more accurately target members of its customer loyalty program has boosted sales

CORPORATES
DYMOCKS BOOKSELLERS PTY LTD, IBISWORLD PTY LTD, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, THE BOOK DEPOSITORY LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, DAVID JONES LIMITED

Who’s afraid of the big bad Netflix?

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 8-Sep-14

Australian media groups are ramping up their presence in the video-on-demand sector in response to expectations that US-based Netflix will enter the local market. Pay-TV operator Foxtel has introduced a new channel that allows subscribers to watch whole seasons of TV shows, while it has also reduced the cost of its basic package. CEO Richard Freudenstein is hopeful that people who take up this package will upgrade to get additional channels

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Foxtel reprices for growth effort

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Original article by Dominic White, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 5-Sep-14

Pay-TV operator Foxtel will reduce the cost of its basic package by 50 per cent as part of a strategy to increase its subscriber base. Foxtel’s market penetration is currently around 30 per cent, but CEO Richard Freudenstein is confident of achieving strong growth by revising its prices. Foxtel will also launch a new channel which will offer on-demand viewing of entire seasons of popular TV shows

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, STREAMCO, AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED

Billabong sees clear water in revival

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Original article by Blair Speedy
The Australian – Page: 18 : 29-Aug-14

Billabong International has announced a 2013-14 full-year net loss of $A233.7m, an improvement from $A859.5m in 2012-13. Excluding abnormal charges the EBITDA reached $A52.2m. The surf and skate clothing distributor and retailer in late 2013 struck a recapitalisation deal worth $A368m with US-based private equity firms Centerbridge Partners and Oaktree Capital. CEO Neil Fiske now says the Australian-listed company has lifted its US sales after years of declines, and growth in the Asian region has been 5% for the year

CORPORATES
BILLABONG INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – ASX BBG, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, CENTERBRIDGE PARTNERS LP, SURFSTITCH PTY LTD, ELEMENT, SWELL COMMERCE INCORPORATED

Investors cheer as Boral ‘turns corner’

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Original article by Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 18 : 28-Aug-14

Building materials group Boral has announced a 2013-14 full-year net profit increase of 181% to $A173m, although revenue declined 2% to reach $A5.2bn. The net result excluding abnormals was up 64% at $A171m. The 12-month distribution has been lifted 36% to $A0.15, and on 27 August 2014 the stock closed $A0.25 higher at $A5.63. CEO Mike Kane said the Australian-listed company was seeing a recovery in the housing market domestically as well as in the US

CORPORATES
BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, CSR LIMITED – ASX CSR

RCG up amid ‘budget hangover’

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Original article by Leo Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 20 : 27-Aug-14

RCG Corporation has announced a 2013-14 full-year net profit increase of 11.2% to $A11.8m, on revenue that also rose 3% to reach $A210m. The RCG Brands division recorded an EBITDA lift of 37% to $A6.9m, while for the overall group the figure was up 12% at $A16.8m. The final distribution is $A0.025 fully-franked. CEO Hilton Brett says the owner of the Athlete’s Foot retailing chain is still experiencing subdued consumer sentiment due to the Australian Government’s May 2014 Budget

CORPORATES
RCG CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX RCG, RCG BRANDS PTY LTD, THE ATHLETE’S FOOT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MERRELL SHOES

Drop in tablet sales proves a bitter pill for JB Hi-Fi

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Original article by Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 19 : 12-Aug-14

Electronic goods retailer JB Hi-Fi has announced a 2013-14 full-year net profit increase of 10.3% to $A128.4m, as had been tipped. Turnover grew 5.3% to reach $A3.48bn, and was up 2% on a like-for-like basis. However the company also conceded that revenue declined 5.5% year-on-year during the month of July 2014, as consumers bought fewer tablet computers. CEO Richard Murray said new devices would compensate for this during the course of 2014-15. The 12-month distribution is $A0.84, up 16.7%, and on 11 August the stock fell $A1.53 to close at $A17.84.

CORPORATES
JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, JB HI-FI HOME, MOELIS AND COMPANY

Ten loses share of free TV as Seven and Nine surge

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 29-Jul-14

Seven West Media boasted a 41.3 per cent share of metropolitan TV revenue in the first half of 2014, which is 0.8 per cent higher than previously. Nine’s revenue share rose by 0.9 per cent to 38.6, but the Ten Network’s share was 1.8 per cent lower at 20.1 per cent. Ten’s Louise Barrett notes that the network’s ratings have risen markedly in recent months after a poor performance earlier in the year

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Lend Lease victory in Barangaroo union fight

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Original article by Greg Brown|Sarah Danckert
The Australian – Page: 23 : 25-Jul-14

Australia’s Fair Work Commission has banned workers at Lend Lease Group’s Barangaroo South project in Sydney from engaging in unlawful strike action for three months. Some 1,000 members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union went on strike on 24 July 2014. The dispute centres on Lend Lease’s decision to stand down a union delegate in March after he raises concerns about safety at the construction site

CORPORATES
LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Big offer for Lew’s Country Road stake

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 22-Jul-14

Country Road executives have advised shareholders to accept Woolworths Holdings’ offer of $A17 per share. Businessman Solomon Lew has an 11.8 per cent stake in the retailer, and his support for the offer is crucial if Woolworths is to gain full ownership. An independent expert’s report by Lonergan Edwards & Associates has valued Country Road shares at between $A14.92 and $A16.22

CORPORATES
COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED – ASX CTY, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, LONERGAN EDWARDS AND ASSOCIATES LIMITED, DAVID JONES LIMITED – ASX DJS, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, WITCHERY FASHIONS PTY LTD, MIMCO PTY LTD