RETAIL TRADE – AUSTRALIA

Hardware merger is ‘the better of two evils’

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 17-May-16

Mitre 10 boasts a three per cent share of Australia’s hardware market, but this would rise to five per cent if it acquired Woolworths-owned Danks. Hardware retailer John Dahlsen believes that the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission should approve any merger between the two groups. He argues that an enlarged Mitre 10 could reduce its wholesale costs, which could in turn make the independent hardware retailers that it supplies more competitive against Bunnings.

CORPORATES
MITRE 10 LIMITED, DANKS HOLDINGS LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, JC DAHLSEN PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, LOWE’S COMPANIES INCORPORATED, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NATBUILD PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE, THRIFTY-LINK HARDWARE PTY LTD, TRUE VALUE HARDWARE LIMITED

7-Eleven dumps independent back-pay panel

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Original article by Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 3 : 12-May-16

Allan Fels is concerned that employees who were underpaid by 7-Eleven may not be fully compensated after the convenience store chain moved to disband the independent panel that was established to assess compensation claims. Fels and fellow panel member David Cousins have been advised that 7-Eleven will now handle compensation claims in-house. Fels says the move is aimed at minimising the amount of compensation 7-Eleven must pay.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Woolies hit by ratings downgrade

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 & 32 : 5-May-16

Standard & Poor’s has reduced the long-term credit rating of Woolworths from "BBB+" to " BBB". S&P had previously downgraded the Australian retail giant’s credit rating in August 2015. Rival ratings agency Moody’s will also review its "Baa2" rating on the stock, having downgraded it from "Baa1" in March 2016. The bearish sentiment follows Woolworths’ disappointing financial results for the March quarter. Analysts in turn have reduced their earnings forecasts for 2016 and 2017.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, STANDARD AND POOR’S CORPORATION, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Decathlon to take on Rebel in Australia’s $1.3 billion sporting equipment market

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-May-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 734,000 Australians aged 14+ (3.7 per cent) bought sporting equipment (not including sportswear and sporting footwear) in an average four weeks in the year to March 2016, spending a combined $A1,330m over the year. The survey also shows that Rebel Sport claimed $A254m (19 per cent) of this expenditure, ahead of Amart All Sports ($A50m), Sports Power ($A48m), and Kmart ($A44m).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, REBEL SPORT LIMITED, A-MART ALL SPORTS PTY LTD, SPORTS POWER, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, SPORTSCO PTY LTD, STADIUM SPORTS PTY LTD, ANACONDA STORES PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, EBAY INCORPORATED, DEALSDIRECT.COM.AU PTY LTD, DECATHLON

Over half Australia’s online clothing dollars now stay local – but men still buying more from overseas

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-May-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that Australians aged 14+ spent an estimated $A2,414m on men’s and women’s clothing online in the year to December 2015. Australia-based sites (whether online-only stores or the web-stores of traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers) accounted for $A1,366m (56 per cent) of this expenditure, while $A1,048m (44 per cent) went overseas. The survey also shows that women spent over $A1bn on clothes through Australian online stores in 2015, compared with $A550m on international sites. Conversely, Australian men favour international sites for clothes shopping – although their total expenditure is only around half of that of women.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

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