RETAIL TRADE – AUSTRALIA

Woolies finalises hardware sell-off

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 19 : 4-Oct-16

The hardware division of Metcash will boast sales of $A2.2bn following the completion of a deal to acquire the Home Timber & Hardware business from Woolworths. The expanded division will comprise about 800 retail stores and a hardware wholesaling business. Woolworths is still engaged in legal action with joint venture partner Lowe’s regarding its exit from the ill-fated Masters Home Improvement business.

CORPORATES
METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LOWE’S COMPANIES INCORPORATED, MITRE 10 LIMITED, TRUE VALUE HARDWARE LIMITED, THRIFTY-LINK HARDWARE PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

How popular are customer loyalty programs really?

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-Sep-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 71 per cent of Australians aged 14+ are members of at least one store loyalty program. The survey, which was carried out in the six months to June 2016, also shows that 49 per cent of Australians are members of Woolworths Rewards, ahead of FlyBuys (45 per cent) and MyerOne (21 per cent). Meanwhile, 78.2 per cent of people who shop at Woolworths/Safeway in any given four weeks are members of the Woolworths Rewards program, as are 61.8 per cent of people who shop at Woolworths-owned BWS. Similarly, FlyBuys members comprise a resounding majority of Coles customers (69.2 per cent), as well as over half of all shoppers at FlyBuys partners Liquorland (61.0 per cent), Kmart (54.4 per cent), Target (54.3 per cent) and First Choice Liquor (53.6 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS REWARDS, FLYBUYS, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, BWS – BEER WINE SPIRITS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LIQUORLAND (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FIRST CHOICE LIQUOR SUPERSTORE, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, PRICELINE PTY LTD, MILLERS, DAN MURPHY’S

JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys: satisfaction guaranteed?

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Sep-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that more than three million Australians aged 14+ made at least one purchase from JB Hi-Fi in an average four weeks in the year to June 2016. Over a million made at least one purchase from The Good Guys, while Harvey Norman, attracted nearly 1.3 million customers in the same time period. The survey also shows that JB Hi-Fi customers have a mean household income of $A115,000, compared with $A107,000 for Harvey Norman customers and $A98,000 for The Good Guys customers. Meanwhile, The Good Guys has triumphed in the Furniture/Electrical Store category of the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards every month this year with scores consistently over 90 per cent, and JB Hi-Fi has been close behind it in second place (also with scores hovering around 90 per cent and above).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, THE GOOD GUYS, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN

Woolies’ ‘plan B’ on Masters exit

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Original article by Ben Butler, Ben Wilmot
The Australian – Page: 21 : 20-Sep-16

Documents filed in the Federal Court outline the strategies that Woolworths allegedly devised in order to withdraw from its Masters Home Improvement venture with Lowe’s. The US company is seeking to wind up the Masters joint venture company, Hydrox Holdings. Lowe’s claims that amongst other things, Woolworths made plans to terminate the joint venture agreement and sell Hydrox’s assets if the Lowe’s nominees on the Hydrox board did not agree to the sale of the joint venture company’s assets.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LOWE’S COMPANIES INCORPORATED, HYDROX HOLDINGS PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE, KORDA MENTHA AND COLLEAGUES PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

JB Hi-Fi bets big on Good Guys

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 14-Sep-16

JB Hi-Fi will finance the acquisition of The Good Guys via a capital raising and a $A450m debt facility. The listed consumer electronics and home entertainment group will raise $A394m from investors, with the new stock to be issued at $A26.20 apiece. JB Hi-Fi anticipates annual cost savings of between $A15m and $A20m as a result of the $A870m acquisition of The Good Guys. The deal will increase JB Hi-Fi’s sales to $A6bn a year and lift its share of the consumer electronics and household appliances market.

CORPORATES
JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, THE GOOD GUYS, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, OPHIR ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Play time: where Aussies buy their toys and games

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Sep-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 2.6 million Australians aged 14+ buy toys and/or games in an average four-week period. The survey, which was carried out in the year to June 2016, also shows that 612,000 people buy toys and/or games from EB Games in an average four weeks, ahead of Kmart (412,000), Big W (349,000) and Target (297,000). Meanwhile, 801,000 Australians buy toys and/or games via the internet, either from an online-only business or the e-commerce channel of a bricks-and-mortar store.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, EB GAMES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, TOYS ‘R’ US (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, EBAY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND PTY LTD

Stellar Harvey Norman saves best for last

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 1-Sep-16

Australian-listed retailer Harvey Norman has reported a 30 per cent increase in net profit to $A348.6 million for 2015-16. EBIT rose 27 per cent to $A522.5 million. Chairman Gerry Harvey said on 31 August 2016 that the company was ‘flush with cash’ and could afford to be generous to shareholders. Harvey Norman’s final dividend was raised from $A0.11 to $A0.17 a share, payable on 1 December.

CORPORATES
HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED

Autobarn accelerates its way to customer satisfaction success

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 1-Sep-16

Roy Morgan Research has announced the July 2016 winners of its monthly Customer Satisfaction Awards in Australia. Autobarn won the Customer Satisfaction Award in the category of Auto Stores by satisfying 88 per cent of its customers, followed by Supercheap Auto with 87 per cent and Repco with 82 per cent.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUTOBARN PTY LTD, SUPER CHEAP AUTO, REPCO LIMITED

SurfStitch out of trough: Sonand

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 23 : 31-Aug-16

SurfStitch reported a loss of more than $A155 million and an underlying EBITDA loss of $A18.8 million for 2015-16. The results of the Australian-listed online retailer included $A99.3 million in impairments to goodwill and aged inventory. Investors abandoned the company, with shares falling $A0.125, or 54.3 per cent, to $A0.105 on 31 August 2016.

CORPORATES
SURFSTITCH GROUP LIMITED – ASX SRF

Coles deal forces union rates retreat

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 30-Aug-16

The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association has reviewed nearly 100 enterprise agreements in response to the Fair Work Commission’s decision to strike down its pay deal with Coles. The SDA’s national secretary, Gerard Dwyer, has warned that the ruling means that the union will have to cease the long-standing practice of trading off penalty rates in return for gaining higher base rates of pay for its members. The FWC ruled that the Coles enterprise agreement breached the "no disadvantage" test.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION