STRATEGIC PLANNING – AUSTRALIA

Retailers eye battery ‘revolution’

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 3-Jun-15

Battery storage technology is widely tipped to be the "next big thing" for Australian households. A number of energy groups are banking on future demand for battery storage, with AGL Energy entering the market in May 2015. Red Energy, Ergon Energy and ActewAGL hope to begin selling Panasonic’s new home battery system later in 2015, after they undertake a trial of the technology. Demand for battery storage solutions is expected to be particularly high among households with solar power.

CORPORATES
AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, RED ENERGY PTY LTD, SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, ERGON ENERGY CORPORATION LIMITED, ACTEWAGL, PANASONIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, TESLA MOTORS INCORPORATED, ENPHASE ENERGY, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY

Vocation cuts back, rebrands in survival bid

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Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 9 : 2-Jun-15

Australian-listed Vocation will implement a five-point plan aimed at turning around its fortunes. The vocational education provider will adopt a new business name and rebrand several of its businesses, while more than 40 of its courses will be discontinued. CEO Stewart Cummins is confident that the group will become profitable in 2015-16. Vocation currently boasts just 160 employees, with its workforce cut due to asset sales and redundancies.

CORPORATES
VOCATION LIMITED – ASX VET, CUSTOMER SERVICE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA, AVANA EDUCATION PTY LTD, REAL INSTITUTE PTY LTD, BAWM GROUP PTY LTD, ASPIN PTY LTD, ENDEAVOUR COLLEGE OF NATURAL HEALTH, STUDY GROUP INTERNATIONAL, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Chi-X issues new challenge to ASX

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Original article by Shaun Drummond, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 1-Jun-15

Stock exchange operator Chi-X Australia will begin offering warrants trading later in 2015, entering a market that has been shunned in recent years. Chi-X CEO John Fildes notes that just one company currently issues warrants in Australia, and blames ASX Limited’s high fees. Chi-X also plans to allow equities to be traded for an additional eight minutes after the official close of trading, while it will begin offering exchange-traded funds in 2016.

CORPORATES
CHI-X AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, STOXX, DEUTSCHE BOERSE, SWISS STOCK EXCHANGE

AGL Energy shares hit 8-year high

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 27-May-15

AGL Energy has revealed details of its "strategic road map", which will include cost reductions and asset sales. AGL plans to divest its 50 per cent stake in the 420-megawatt Macarthur wind farm in Victoria, which is expected to fetch about $A500m. Some analysts believe that AGL will also sell its upstream gas business, while a decision on the Gloucester coal seam gas project will be made later in 2015. AGL shares closed 6.3 per cent higher at $A16.45 on 26 May.

CORPORATES
AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, MACQUARIE GENERATION, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AES CORPORATION, MACQUARIE WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Lend Lease switches brolly for fold logo

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Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 39 : 27-May-15

Australian-listed Lend Lease Group will undertake a corporate makeover, rebranding itself as Lendlease and replacing its long-standing canopy logo. CEO Steve McCann describes the group’s new "fold" logo as "fluid and flexible". Lend Lease will gradually introduce the new branding over a two-year period.

CORPORATES
LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, STW COMMUNICATIONS GROUP LIMITED – ASX SGN, HOUSTON

Echo to bulk up Star ahead of Crown threat

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 25-May-15

Australian-listed Echo Entertainment Group has not yet decided whether to expand its existing hotels at The Star in Sydney or build another hotel at the casino complex. The Star has a $A500m capital works budget for the next five years, as it prepares for the entry of Crown Resorts into Sydney’s casino market in 2019. The Star also intends to expand its gaming floor with the addition of extra gaming tables.

CORPORATES
ECHO ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LIMITED – ASX EGP, THE STAR, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, CROWN MELBOURNE LIMITED

‘Leaner’ Woodside targets acquisitions

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 22-May-15

Woodside Petroleum is expected to decide whether to proceed with the Greater Enfield oil project in 2016. The group will commence engineering and design work on the Western Australian project ahead of schedule, in order to secure lower costs for oil rigs. CEO Peter Coleman has also flagged acquisitions, including oil projects and LNG receiving terminals in Asia. Woodside is also seeking to reduce costs and improve productivity.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, APACHE CORPORATION, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, CHEVRON CORPORATION, WOOD MACKENZIE, MITSUI AND COMPANY LIMITED

Wesfarmers moves to back Coles over coal

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 22-May-15

Financial market analysts have downgraded Wesfarmers’ profit and earnings per share forecasts for 2015, although there is widespread support for the conglomerate’s move to focus capital investment on its Coles and Bunnings chains. Ben Gilbert of UBS says the Bunnings hardware business in particular still offers huge growth potential, noting that its return on capital exceeds 30 per cent.

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES GROUP LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PACIFIC BRANDS LIMITED – ASX PBG, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, MACQUARIE EQUITIES LIMITED

FMG defends plan to expand

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Original article by Peter Ker, Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 21-May-15

Fortescue Metals Group’s Peter Meurs says encouraging results from the first stage of a magnetite project in Western Australia may prompt it to proceed to the next stage. The Iron Bridge joint venture has initially targeted two million tonnes of magnetite ore, and Meurs believes that this could be increased to 20 million tonnes. He has refuted suggestions that this would add to the global oversupply of iron ore, arguing that the bulk of iron ore exported from Australia is haematite ore.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SHANGHAI BAOSTEEL GROUP CORPORATION, FORMOSA HA TINH STEEL CORPORATION, GRANGE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GRR, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, CHINA INTERNATIONAL TRUST AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION, ANSHAN IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, GINDALBIE METALS LIMITED – ASX GBG

APN cautious about bold step

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 21-May-15

APN News & Media does not expect its revenue to be significantly affected by plans to paywall the websites of its regional newspapers in Queensland. CEO Michael Miller notes that Australian consumers have become used to paying for digital content. The paywalled news sites will use a metered model, whereby a limited number of articles can be read each month without a subscription.

CORPORATES
APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, GANNETT, JOHNSTON PRESS PLC