RETAIL TRADE – AUSTRALIA

Premier gives McInnes a million reasons to stay around

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 28-Apr-16

Premier Investments has extended the contract of its retail CEO Mark McInnes for another few years, with new incentives added to it. His base remuneration has been increased from $A2 million to $A2.5 million. He is now allowed to sell 800,000 shares, worth $A12.5 million. McInnes’ new remuneration package is yet to be approved by shareholders. Some of them think the package is too generous.

CORPORATES
PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, JUST JEANS PTY LTD, PETER ALEXANDER, SMIGGLE PTY LTD, DOTTI, PORTMANS PTY LTD, DAVID JONES LIMITED

Why Aldi’s red-hot on snow gear segment

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 27-Apr-16

Discount supermarket chain Aldi has become Australia’s largest retailer of skiwear and snow clothing, according to local CEO Tom Daunt. Aldi has launched a separate website for ski clothing, with the aim of attracting shoppers on higher incomes who would not usually visit one of its stores. Aldi currently boasts nine stores in South Australia, and Daunt says the group is pleased with its initial success in the state. Its first store in Western Australia will open later in 2016.

CORPORATES
ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, SNOWSPORTS INDUSTRIES OF AUSTRALIA

Where do Australians buy their homewares?

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Apr-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that just over 1.6 million Australians aged 14+ buy homewares in an average four weeks, spending an average of $A73 per person. The survey, which was carried out in the year to December 2015, also shows that 286,000 Australians make at least one homewares purchase from Kmart in an average four weeks, with an average spend of $A54 each. Meanwhile, 90,000 Australians buy homewares from IKEA in any given four weeks, but with an average spend of $A118 each.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IKEA TRADING PTY LTD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED

7-Eleven’s legal woes

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Original article by Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 24 : 7-Apr-16

Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that 7-Eleven franchisee Jim Chien-Ching Chang falsified payroll records and underpaid eight employees. One employee is said to be owed more than $A13,000 in unpaid wages, while the Ombudsman claims that none of Chang’s employees were paid shift worker allowances or weekend penalty rates. 7-Eleven employees have been paid about $A10m to date via a compensation scheme that was established in the wake of the wage exploitation scandal in 2015.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, JS TOY PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Lew inducted as retail legend

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 31-Mar-16

Premier Investments chairman Solomon Lew will join an exclusive group when he is inducted into the World Retail Congress Hall of Fame. He is the first Australian to be added to the hall of fame, whose members include the founders of international retail giants such as IKEA, Zara and Uniqlo. Tommy Hilfiger and Jo Malone will also be inducted into the hall of fame in 2016.

CORPORATES
PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, WORLD RETAIL CONGRESS HALL OF FAME, IKEA INTERNATIONAL A/S, ZARA, UNIQLO COMPANY LIMITED, ARCADIA GROUP PLC, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA INCORPORATED, JUST JEANS PTY LTD, PETER ALEXANDER, SMIGGLE PTY LTD, DOTTI, PORTMANS PTY LTD, VOYAGER DISTRIBUTING COMPANY PTY LTD, PLAYCORP PTY LTD, CENTURY PLAZA INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, FCUK, NINE WEST AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, COUNTRY ROAD LIMITED, DAVID JONES LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, SASS AND BIDE PTY LTD

Booktopia pushes ahead with plans for $150m IPO

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 30-Mar-16

Australian online book retailer Booktopia may pursue a sharemarket float in the second half of 2016. CEO Tony Nash says the bulk of proceeds from the proposed IPO will be used to finance Booktopia’s expansion plans and invested in its supply chain processes. Booktopia’s sales are forecast to exceed $A100m in 2017, and Nash is not unduly concerned about competition from The Book Depository, which is owned by Amazon.

CORPORATES
BOOKTOPIA PTY LTD, THE BOOK DEPOSITORY LIMITED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BOOKWORLD, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, ORD MINNETT GROUP LIMITED, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED, TEMPLE AND WEBSTER GROUP LIMITED – ASX TPW, SURFSTITCH GROUP LIMITED – ASX SRF, IBISWORLD PTY LTD

Woolworths needs to fix more than its Homebrands

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 30-Mar-16

Marketing Focus’s Barry Urquhart says Woolworths will need to market a change in branding for its entry-level private-label products in the same way it markets national brands. Woolworths intends to phase out the Homebrand name in favour of Essentials, in a bid to counter perceptions that the private-label products of rival grocery chains are of better quality. Melbourne Business School’s Mark Ritson says Woolworths should also seek to reposition its other private-label brands.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MARKETING FOCUS PTY LTD, MELBOURNE BUSINESS SCHOOL, PRINCIPALS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD

Woolworths turns back on Homebrand

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 29-Mar-16

Australian-listed Woolworths will drop the Homebrand name for its entry-level range of private label products. The branding will be phased out in favour of the similarly-priced Essentials brand, in order to counter the widely-held view that the generic products of rivals Coles and Aldi offer better quality. Homebrand was launched in 1983, and currently features a much broader range of products than the Essentials range. About $A1.4bn worth of Homebrand products are sold each year.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CAPILANO HONEY LIMITED – ASX CZZ, BEECHWORTH HONEY

Coles boss wants enterprise law ‘rethink’

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Original article by Catie Low
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 63 : 24-Mar-16

A leading retail executive says Australia’s workplace laws are too complex and outdated. Coles MD John Durkan told an American Chamber of Commerce in Australia event on 23 March 2016 that the company’s latest enterprise agreement was hijacked by a casual worker who challenged it in court, despite overwhelming support for the agreement among Coles workers.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

7-Eleven still rorting workers, says CEO

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Original article by Mathew Dunckley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 21-Mar-16

Former Skilled Group boss Angus McKay says addressing problems with 7-Eleven’s corporate culture will be one of his priorities as the convenience store chain’s new CEO. McKay has conceded that wage exploitation is most likely still an issue at some stores, but he has committed to completely eliminating such practices. He also concedes that the wages scandal has tarnished 7-Eleven’s reputation among consumers.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, SKILLED GROUP LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FOSTER’S GROUP LIMITED, DIAGEO AUSTRALIA LIMITED