SUPERMARKETS – AUSTRALIA

Coles gains on Woolworths at the deli counter

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Jul-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that 6.7 million Australian grocery buyers aged 14+ collectively spent around $A91m on delicatessen items in an average seven days in the year to March 2015. This compares with 6.4 million weekly shoppers (and $A73m spent) in the year to March 2011. The survey also shows that 43 per cent of deli shoppers buy at least some of their week’s supply of deli goods from Woolworths, down marginally from 44.1 per cent in 2011. Coles’ share of deli shoppers has risen from 31.5 per cent to 36.7 per cent over the same period.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, IGA

Woolworths serves up Thomas Dux

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 19 : 30-Jun-15

Australian-listed Woolworths has declined to comment on reports that it is seeking a buyer for its chain of Thomas Dux stores. However, it is believed to be aiming for a sale price of $A10m-$A20m for the grocery chain, which specialises on gourmet foods and comprises 10 outlets. Woolworths Holdings is seen as a possible buyer for the chain, although the South Africa-based group has denied that it has made overtures regarding Thomas Dux.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, THOMAS DUX GROCER, WOOLWORTHS HOLDINGS LIMITED, DAVID JONES LIMITED, ABOUT LIFE PTY LTD, JONES THE GROCER, L CAPITAL ASIA, LVMH MOET HENNESSY LOUIS VUITTON SA, BRIGHT FOOD GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, MANASSEN FOODS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SIMON JOHNSON PURVEYOR OF QUALITY FOODS PTY LTD, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES

Murray in the business of making a difference

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 29-Jun-15

Former Lion Nathan CEO Rob Murray has a track record of turning around struggling companies. He did so at Lion, as well as Spillers Petfoods and Nestle Foods in the UK. Murray is now on the boards of three Australian-listed companies whose outlooks are uncertain. He is a non-executive director of Southern Cross Media Group and chairs both Metcash and Dick Smith Holdings. Murray says Metcash’s price-matching strategy must focus on key grocery products, and has ruled out the sale of its Mitre 10 hardware business.

CORPORATES
METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX DSH, LION PTY LTD, SPILLERS PETFOODS, NESTLE SA, IGA, MITRE 10 LIMITED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, LIDL GMBH & CO KG, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, LINFOX PTY LTD, BESTEST, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

Aldi hits back at claims of shirking tax

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 24-Jun-15

Discount grocery chain Aldi says it fully complies with its Australian tax obligations, and has advised that its local income tax bill for the year to 31 December 2013 totalled $A81.6m. The German-owned group was responding to comments by Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder, who had questioned whether Aldi was paying sufficient tax in Australia. Aldi boasted local sales of $A6bn in 2014, which was around 13 per cent higher than previously, and it is gaining market share at the expense of its rivals.

CORPORATES
ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, ALDI EINKAUF GMBH & CO OHG, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, IGA, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED

The ALDI effect: Australia’s changing supermarket scene

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jun-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that German supermarket chain ALDI has increased its share of the Australian market from 3.1 per cent to 11.6 per cent over the last 10 years. The survey also shows that n 35.1 per cent of Australian grocery buyers aged 14+ shop at ALDI in an average four weeks, including more than 47 per cent of grocery buyers in both Victoria and New South Wales. Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine says with the planned entry of Lidl to Australia, supermarkets are likely to focus more on customers than ever – understanding who they are, their needs and drives, and how to communicate with them and engage their loyalty.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, LIDL GMBH & CO KG, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, IGA

Woolies investors fear more pain before gain

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 12 : 19-Jun-15

Fund managers and shareholders are concerned about the possible actions that will be taken by the successor to Woolworths CEO Grant O’Brien in a bid to turn around its fortunes. These include reduced profit margins and asset writedowns. Ben Gilbert of UBS is concerned that Woolworths may seek to combat falling sales by instigating a grocery price war, while Sheridan Hure of Aurora Funds Management warns that Woolworths’ shares may keep falling.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, NIKKO ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP, EGON ZEHNDER INTERNATIONAL, STANDARD AND POOR’S (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Metcash sinks auto sale proceeds into groceries

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 16-Jun-15

Australian-listed Burson Group will pay $A275m for Metcash’s automotive division, whose brands include Autobarn and Midas. The proceeds of the transaction will be used to bolster Metcash’s balance sheet and invest in its grocery business. Meanwhile, Metcash’s 2014-15 underlying net profit was down 17.4 per cent at $A193m, and it has posted a net loss of $A384.2m. EBIT was 16.7 per cent lower at $A325.1m.

CORPORATES
METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, BURSON GROUP LIMITED – ASX BAP, AUTOBARN PTY LTD, MIDAS MUFFLERS, AUTOPRO SERVICES PTY LTD, INDEPENDENT GROCERS OF AUSTRALIA, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Supermarket war delivers welcome boost for advertising

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 15-Jun-15

Grocery wholesaler Metcash has launched a new national marketing campaign with the slogan "It Pays to Shop Independent". Metcash has joined Coles and Woolworths in ramping up its advertising budget amid fierce competition in the supermarket sector. Meanwhile, Metcash is tipped to post a 2014-15 net loss of about $A400m when its financial results are released on 15 June 2015.

CORPORATES
METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, INDEPENDENT GROCERS OF AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS’ ASSOCIATION

Retailer profits under pressure

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 4-Jun-15

UBS and the Australian Food & Grocery Council have produced a report which shows that supermarket groups’ profit margins have increased at the expense of suppliers over the last five years. However, the report concludes that rising competition in the grocery sector is set to shift the balance in favour of suppliers. Woolworths boasts a margin of eight per cent, which is sigificantly higher than the global average.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND GROCERY COUNCIL, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

The best and worst times to do your grocery-shopping

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Jun-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 51.2 per cent of Australians aged 14+ who are grocery buyers usually do their main grocery shopping on a specific day of the week. Some 14.2 per cent of grocery buyers go to the supermarket on Saturdays, while 10.9 per cent do so on Thursdays. In contrast, just five per cent do their grocery shopping on Mondays and 5.4 per cent do so on Tuesdays. The survey also shows that under-25s are more likely to do their main grocery shop on Sundays than any other day (12.2 per cent), while those aged 65+ are more likely to buy groceries on Thursdays (16.8 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, IGA