PayPal eyes alliance with bricks and mortar retailers

July 24, 2012 The Age PayPal wants to let shoppers use its service when buying in-store in Australia. The battle for the consumer wallet is set to intensify with global payment behemoth PayPal eyeing partnerships with local offline retailers. PayPal is in talks with a handful of large Australian retailers about introducing its pay-anywhere technology, which would blend online, mobile and in-store buying through a single customer identity and account. The e-payment option available through an app for Android and iPhones, would allow customers to bypass eftpos machines and credit card companies at point of sale, paying directly from their PayPal account. The eBay-owned company would not name the Australian retailers but said they were household names. The US-based company recently inked a deal to provide pay-anywhere services to 15 large US retailers including Toys R Us, Home Depot, Foot Locker and Nine West. “We are in talks with them…

Read More

Important watchpoint for the Australian Convenience industry

Jul 24, 2012 CSNews WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers are banding together to bring common sense to the federal menu labeling laws, which the convenience store industry has been fighting. Congressman John Carter (R-Texas) was joined this afternoon by fellow Texas representatives, Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D) and Ruben Hinojosa (D), at a press conference to introduce the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2012. Representatives from the convenience store, grocery and pizza industries, as well as small business owners, joined the bi-partisan contingent to show their support. In addition to the three Texas legislators, a bipartisan mix of House members from Washington State, Arkansas, California, Wisconsin, Utah and Missouri, Georgia and Ohio are backing the legislation. The proposed bill is in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulations regarding calorie labeling on menus and menu boards in chain restaurants and food establishments, and on vending machines. Currently, FDA rules…

Read More

Metcash takes on Goliaths in a pub fight

Adele Ferguson and Carolyn Cummins July 25, 2012 The Age THE big supermarkets’ battle for a larger slice of the consumer dollar is set to spill into pubs and poker machines after grocery wholesaler Metcash, which operates the IGA chain, is believed to have hired a broker to identify venues and hotels. It follows a $375 million-plus equity raising launched by Metcash last month and a strategic review that includes slashing 500 staff, cutting debt and identifying bolt-on acquisitions. BusinessDay understands that up to $90 million could be allocated to bolt-on acquisitions, including pubs and poker machines, as pressure mounts on Metcash to revive earnings as the price war between Coles and Woolworths heats up. Metcash is said to be close to exchanging contracts on the leasehold of three Queensland pubs, with one suggested to be the Aspley Hotel. It is understood that Metcash does not want to own the…

Read More

Health products prominent on trusted list

AAP July 24, 2012 HEALTH care products are the brands most trusted by Australian consumers, a survey has found. The Australian Reader’s Digest released the results on Tuesday of a survey it commissioned that asked more than 2,400 Aussies which products they placed the most trust in. The top ten was dominated by health care and first aid products, with breakfast cereal and chocolate rounding out the list. Dettol topped the list, with Band-Aid and Panadol second and third. Chocolate maker Cadbury came in fourth, but dentists need not worry as oral hygiene supremo Colgate came in right behind at number five. Another health-care product, Elastoplast, is sixth on the list. Hardware giant Bunnings was voted number one in the ‘Australian Icon’ category, beating Vegemite and Dick Smith. Australian Reader’s Digest editor Sue Carney said brands that continued to offer quality and substance were the most trusted. “They have a…

Read More

Fast-food feeds two-speed woes

Simon Canning and Nicolas Perpitch July 25, 2012 The Australian FAST-FOOD outlets are quickly becoming the measure of Australia’s two-speed economy as consumers demand value meals as comfort food. Stretched by mortgage repayments and an economy they don’t entirely trust, consumers are keeping their wallets closed and instead treating themselves with the coins lingering in their pockets. Yesterday McDonald’s reacted to a slowdown in sales with a menu aimed straight at the frugal consumer, saying it would grow its value offerings with burgers and fries priced at as little as $1 or $2. The strategy was a major reason for the company’s turnaround in the US, where the adoption of value meals helped to lift sales and profits four years ago. Australia bagged a rare mention by McDonald’s executives when the company announced its global results and a 4.5 per cent drop in earnings. Newly appointed chief executive Donald Thompson…

Read More

New York considers limits on sugary drinks to battle obesity

Samantha Gross July 25, 2012 AP THE fizz is frothing in New York as the mayor considers limits on ‘super-sized’ sugary drinks in a desperate bid to put a lid on obesity. Soft drink and restaurant industries are bottling the mayor’s proposed ban and an effervescent public is lining up to have its say. Since Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s put forward his proposal, opponents have accused him of trying to institute a “nanny state” with government controls that infringe on individual choice. City officials, meanwhile, argue they are trying to save lives in the face of an obesity epidemic that is killing New Yorkers and costing the health budget $4 billion a year. “This year an estimated 5,800 New Yorkers will die because they are obese or overweight,” Bloomberg said Monday. But more than 100 people gathered this week on the steps of City Hall to protest, many wearing T-shirts that…

Read More