Industry News

Alison McMeekin The Daily Telegraph May 17, 2012 TOBACCO company British American Tobacco Australia (BATA) says it has been forced to start selling cheap smokes to try to win back market share from illegal products and to compete in the expanding “cheap” cigarette market. BATA – whose brands include Dunhill, Winfield and Benson & Hedges – last week released “Just Smokes”, which retails for about $11.50 for a pack of 25 cigarettes. The company said the new brand is priced just above illegal counterfeit and contraband cigarette packs – which sell for about $8 to $10 for a pack of 25. The average price for a pack of 25 smokes is $16. Spokesman Scott McIntyre said since the government increased the tobacco excise by 25 per cent in 2010, the “cheap price segment” has grown 63 per cent, as smokers look for lower priced cigarettes. “The tobacco industry is extremely…

Kate Southam Thursday, May, 17, 2012 I met an ex-British army officer who had commanded 100 troops in Iraq during 2003. He said a big part of his role was caring. That might mean arranging elder care for a soldier’s mum or getting Christmas present to children. The army during live conflict is a pretty macho workplace but the boss caring was crucial to efficiency. Soldiers needed to focus all their attention on their duties and staying alive – not worrying about their family back home. It is an interesting concept: caring for workers as a way of creating a more productive workplace. Works for me. Jennifer Garvey Berger works with senior executives around the world across a range of industries. When she asks them what they reckon a good leader is all about their answers are mostly variations on the same theme. “”A leader who thinks about, and cares…

May 18, 2012 The Age SUPERMARKET chain IGA is to take on its larger competitors with a national rollout of concept stores that will offer late-night, gourmet food in suburban high streets. It is the latest plan from retailers in the war to attract customers. Already ”pop up” or short-term stores are now seen as an integral part of the retail landscape. According to Westfield’s co-chief executive, Steven Lowy, it’s the reason why landlords can maintain higher revenue at the same time their tenants are struggling. Mr Lowy said occupancy levels across the vast Westfield portfolio was close to 99.8 per cent due to the flexibility of leasing out stores on short or long-term leases. He said pop up concepts were one of many new ways to keep a mall attractive, vibrant and profitable. According to analysts, landlords not only generate rent from tenants but can open and close stores…

Claire Connelly, Technology Reporter news.com.au May 18, 2012 NISSAN has launched Australia’s first fully electric car, boasting green credentials from the name up. While there have been hybrid petrol-electric cars available before, the company says its Nissan Leaf is the country’s first “100 per cent electric car” that can run up to 170km on a single charge, with no emissions. And if that’s not green enough for you, the Leaf is also made up of 95 per cent recyclable materials. Singer and actress Natalie Bassingthwaite launched the car, along with an accompanying art exhibition at Sydney’s Customs House, saying the Leaf was “the ultimate set of wheels” for people interested in finding “an alternative for our kids’ future”.

Rachel Wells The Age Acts of lessening competition or controlling prices represent a breach competition laws. THE competition watchdog will launch an investigation into clothing importers who are reaching agreements with overseas suppliers to stop selling their products to Australians on websites or instructing them to lift their web prices. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has acknowledged that anti-competitive practices revealed by The Age last week could breach competition legislation. He said an investigation would be launched, and companies found breaking the law would be prosecuted. ”We are extremely committed to having a close look at this,” he said. ”Making sure Australian consumers benefit from the revolution that we’ve got in the online world is a top priority … We will therefore use the [Competition and Consumer] act to its fullest.” Mr Sims, who has described the online economy as ”the biggest regulatory challenge in a generation”,…

TARA PARKER-POPE New York Times May 16, 2012 Your morning cup of coffee may start to taste even better after a major government study found that frequent coffee drinkers have a lower risk of dying from a variety of diseases, compared with people who drink little or no coffee. The report, published online in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, analyzed the coffee-drinking habits of more than 400,000 men and women ages 50 to 71, making it the largest-ever study of the relationship between coffee consumption and health. Previous studies have offered conflicting results on the relative benefits or harms associated with regular coffee consumption. While coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that may temporarily increase heart rate and blood pressure in some people, coffee also contains hundreds of unique compounds and antioxidants that may confer health benefits. Further confusing much of the research into coffee is the fact…