RETAIL TRADE – AUSTRALIA

Myer defends timing of downgrade

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Original article by Madeleine Heffernan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 25-Mar-15

Myer Holdings’ disclosure practices came under scrutiny after its 2014-15 full-year earnings forecast was reduced by up to 24 per cent. Critics have argued that the group should have advised of the earnings downgrade when it revealed management changes several weeks earlier. However, Myer has told the ASX that its directors did not become aware that full-year profits would be lower than expected until the day before its interim results were released

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Premier Investments in fight to get the right lease deals

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Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 40 : 24-Mar-15

Australian-listed Premier Investments boasts more than 1,000 retail stores. The group’s rent bill for the first half of 2014-15 rose by 6.7 per cent to $A99.3m. CEO Mark McInnes notes that this accounted for 20 per cent of its sales revenue. He says Premier is prepared to close stores if landlords are not willing to offer the market rent when leases are renewed. The group closed a Just Jeans store in Melbourne as a result

CORPORATES
PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, JUST JEANS PTY LTD, JAY JAY’S JEANS WAREHOUSE PTY LTD, PORTMANS PTY LTD, JACQUI E PTY LTD, DOTTI

Online shopping on the rise for most retail categories

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Mar-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 7,630,000 Australians aged 14+ bought at least one product online in an average four weeks during the year to December 2014. This compares with 5,704,000 in 2011. The survey also shows that 1,586,000 Australians bought food and beverages online in 2014, compared with 568,000 in 2011. Likewise, some 2,016,000 Australians bought reading material in an average four weeks in 2014, up from 1,095,000 in 2011. All of the top 10 online retail categories have increased in popularity since 2011

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Improved customer service the key to boosting Myer sales

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 18-Mar-15

It is estimated that about 28 per cent of people who visit a Myer store actually make a purchase. Citigroup says Myer should hire an average of six additional staff at each store in order to improve customer service and lift its sales conversion rate. Some analysts also suggest that the department store group should seek to lift sales by increasing its expenditure on marketing, IT, e-commerce and store refurbishments

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, NORDSTROM INCORPORATED, DEBENHAM INTERNATIONAL, RH MACY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW

Woolworths puts more money into Masters

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 12-Mar-15

Australian-listed Woolworths has invested an additional $A30m in its Masters Home Improvement joint venture, while Lowe’s has contributed $A15m. The two groups have now invested more than $A3bn in the loss-making venture in the last five years. Masters posted a loss of $A112m in the first half of 2014-15, but Woolworths intends to press ahead with plans to open 6-11 new stores annually

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LOWE’S COMPANIES INCORPORATED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, DANKS HOLDINGS LIMITED, CHARTER HALL GROUP – ASX CHC, HOST-PLUS, SHOPPING CENTRES AUSTRALASIA PROPERTY GROUP – ASX SCP

Bunnings: still ‘plenty of room to grow’

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 11-Mar-15

Citigroup notes that Australia now boasts significantly more hardware stores per capita than the US and the UK. Wesfarmers-owned Bunnings aims to open 20 new stores annually over the next two years. Citigroup warns that Bunnings’ margins are likely to be affected by its growing market penetration, but Bunnings MD John Gillam argues that the group only has a 17 per cent share of the home improvement market at present

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS BUNNINGS LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, MITRE 10 LIMITED, THE HOME DEPOT INCORPORATED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, DAVID JONES LIMITED, COLES GROUP LIMITED, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD

Retailers urged to grill recalcitrant or disloyal shoppers

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 10-Mar-15

AT Kearney estimates that corporate expenditure on "big data" will top $US114bn ($A147.6bn) by 2018. However, AT Kearney principal Ian St-Maurice notes that most companies are not satisfied with the return on this investment. St-Maurice says retailers such as Coles and Woolworths should focus on improving their service to customers who shop at their stores regularly, and suggests supplementing big data with consumer surveys and focus groups, particularly for people who shop elsewhere

CORPORATES
AT KEARNEY INCORPORATED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR

Supermarkets cut to the chase

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 6-Mar-15

Australian supermarket groups’ food and liquor sales were 0.7 per cent lower in January 2015. The sector recorded sales growth of just 2.2 per cent in year-on-year terms. Meanwhile, the four major grocery retailers all plan to open new stores in 2015, prompting analysts to warn that the new stores will gain sales at the expense of established stores. Aggressive price discounting due to slowing consumer spending is also adversely affecting the supermarket chains’ margins

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, INDEPENDENT GROCERS OF AUSTRALIA, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, LIDL GMBH & CO KG

Myer’s new British CEO gets a tough welcome from investors

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 11 : 3-Mar-15

Shares in Myer Holdings shed 11 per cent to close at $A1.1655 on 2 March 2015 following the resignation of CEO Bernie Brookes. He will be succeeded by former Woolworths executive Richard Umbers, while Daniel Bracken has been appointed deputy CEO. Umbers was previously Myers’ chief information and supply chain officer. He says the new management team will adopt a customer-centric focus and look at the type of customers Myer has now and people who are likely to be customers in the future. Myer CFO Mark Ashby has also resigned

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA POST, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, TPG CAPITAL LP, DAVID JONES LIMITED, EZCORP INCORPORATED, ZARA, TOP SHOP, UNIQLO COMPANY LIMITED, SEPHORA USA LLC, HENNES OCH MAURITZ AB, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, DEBENHAMS RETAIL PLC

Billabong still has long wave to ride

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 27-Feb-15

Australian-listed Billabong International has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $A25.7m, following a $A126.3m loss for the first half of 2013-14. The surfwear group’s EBIT from continuing operations was 4.9 per cent lower at $A42.81m. Billabong has flagged an increase in annual capital expenditure in the next few years, with an upgrade of its supply-chain systems and the implementation of an omni-channel retail platform

CORPORATES
BILLABONG INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – ASX BBG, SURF DIVE N SKI AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SURFECTION PTY LTD, BEACH CULTURE INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD, WEST 49 INCORPORATED, RVCA