RETAIL TRADE – AUSTRALIA

99 Bikes says global snags hit imports

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Original article by Liam Walsh
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 4-Jan-21

Matt Turner says that delivery times for importing bicycles from China is now double what it would be normally be. Turner is the CEO of Pedal Group, the company behind the 99 Bikes retail brand, with the surge in delivery times a combination of increased global demand for bikes and logistical issues. Turner’s comments come as Pedal Group reported a 51 per cent revenue jump to $199.9 million for the 2020 financial year, with post-tax profits up from $3.4 million to $12.4 million.

CORPORATES
PEDAL GROUP PTY LTD, 99 BIKES PTY LTD

2020 Christmas retail sales set to grow 2.8% to $54.3 billion

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Nov-20

Roy Morgan’s annual Christmas retail sales forecasts conducted in conjunction with the Australian Retailers Association indicate that Australians will spend over $54.3 billion across retail stores during the Christmas trading period. Forecast retail spending this Christmas of over $54.3 billion is an increase of 2.8% from the $52.9 billion of retail expenditure during the 2019 Christmas trading period and is a better than expected forecast than many would have thought possible during the year as Australia dealt with the unprecedented pandemic. Because of the huge impact on spending patterns caused by COVID-19, and the associated lockdowns around Australia, spending across the six categories measured has diverged significantly during 2020. Unsurprisingly, the largest percentage increasing in spending is predicted for the Food category, with pre-Christmas spending forecast to grow by 10% from a year ago to over $23.8 billion. Due to the impact of COVID-19 and the continuing restrictions, Hospitality spending is forecast to be 18.7% down on a year ago at just under $6.1 billion.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION

WHSmith admits underpaying 1500 workers by $2.2 million

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: Online : 6-Nov-20

WHSmith Australia has agreed to an enforceable undertaking after admitting that its employees had been underpaid some $2.2m between October 2013 and April 2019. The underpayment affected about 1,500 employees of the retailer, which has provided backpay totalling $2.257m to past and present staff. The company, which reported the underpayment to the Fair Work Ombudsman, will also make a ‘contrition payment’ of $50,000.

CORPORATES
WH SMITH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN

Retail can thrive in online shopping shift

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 23-Sep-20

More consumers have embraced online shopping due to the coronavirus pandemic, a trend that Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra expects to continue. He says the proportion of retail sales that are made online could rise to 20 per cent over the next 18-24 months, compared with about 10 per cent prior to COVID-19. Zahra warns that more physical stores are likely to close in coming years, but the shift to online will force retailers to adapt their business models. The pandemic has also prompted more consumers to support retailers within their local community.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION

Supermarkets bring back grocery limits

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 5 : 25-Jun-20

Grocery giants Coles and Woolworths have responded to signs of renewed panic buying in some Melbourne suburbs by reintroducing temporary purchasing limits on high-demand products. Coles will impose limits on items such as toilet paper, paper towels and rice at all of its supermarkets in Victoria, as well as some towns in New South Wales. Woolworths’ purchasing limits apply only to its stores in Victoria at present.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW

BOOT test a hurdle for IR reform: Scott

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 10-Jun-20

Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott says that Australia’s first recession in three decades requires a new approach to industrial relations. He says the ‘better off overall test’ in the Fair Work Act in particular is a hindrance to finalising enterprise bargaining agreements. He argues that employees and businesses alike benefit from EBAs if they are structured in the right way. Wesfarmers’ trading update shows that Bunnings has recorded sales growth of 11.3 per cent so far in 2019-20, while Kmart’s sales are up 6.1 per cent.

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Worst slump in history decimates retailing

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Jun-20

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that retail turnover fell by an unprecedented 17.7 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms during April. Clothing and footwear sales fell by 50 per cent as coronavirus lockdown restrictions took effect, while turnover at cafes and restaurants was down 35 per cent. Food retailers’ sales fell by 17 per cent after being boosted by panic buying in March. Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra says the worst may not be over for retailers, given that the economy is officially in recession and the unemployment rate is set to rise in coming months.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION

Online shopping boom permanent: Gumtree

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 15 : 4-Jun-20

Gumtree MD Mark Kehoe expects the shift to online shopping during the coronavirus lockdown to be a permanent trend. He adds that traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers are being forced to catch up by expanding into the online space. Kehoe notes that consumers were searching Gumtree for items like gym equipment and office desks in the initial stages of the lockdown, but searches for outdoor equipment such as bikes increased as the restrictions eased.

CORPORATES
GUMTREE.COM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD,EBAY INCORPORATED

Panic buying could put GDP in positive territory for March

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 23-Apr-20

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that retail turnover increased by 8.2 per cent in March, driven by panic buying in response to the coronavirus. Sales of canned food, medicinal products and cleaning goods were particularly strong in March, with turnover rising by 50 per cent month-on-month. Josh Williamson of Citigroup warns that retail turnover is likely to fall sharply in April, due to the impact of lockdowns and social distancing rules. David Plank of the ANZ Bank says the sales boost in March could potentially result positive GDP growth for the first quarter of 2020.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND SCIENCES, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Australian consumers unconvinced about online retail giant Amazon

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-20

New Roy Morgan research into online retailer Amazon shows that the shopping giant is well behind on several consumer indicators when compared to other major retail brands. Some 26% of Australians said ‘I’d consider shopping at Amazon’; this compares to 61% for Bunnings, 58% for Kmart, 56% for Big W, 51% for JB Hi-Fi and 35% for eBay. Meanwhile, only 14% said Amazon has good quality products; this compares to 47% for Bunnings, 25% for Kmart, 27% for Big W, 41% for JB Hi-Fi and 14% for online-only auction site eBay. It is worth noting in this context that unlike the others on this list, in addition to selling goods directly Amazon acts as a marketplace for other retailers, while eBay is purely a marketplace. These findings are from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Australians each week and over 50,000 each year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, EBAY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND PTY LTD