Jeff Kennett Herald Sun July 19, 2012 SADLY, many of my concerns for Australia’s manufacturing, retailing and food industries that I first raised 18 months ago are being played out, not only for industries but also for employees and their families. Prices paid by supermarket shoppers are hurting suppliers and manufacturers, says former premier Jeff Kennett Today I wish to focus on two sectors – food and manufacturing. Coles and Woolworths have about 80 per cent of Australia’s supermarket business – the second-strongest effective monopoly in the world behind New Zealand. Both chains are ripping up relationships with suppliers, farmers and manufacturers that have served all well for more than 70 years. Coles first demanded its suppliers charge it only 3 per cent as profit on top of their costs. Woolworths has followed, with its latest edict to suppliers: “Reduce your costs to us by 10 per cent or risk…

Kate Hagan July 19, 2012 The Age SMOKING rates have dropped below 15 per cent for the first time in Victoria, and young adults are no longer the most likely to smoke. Figures released yesterday show that 14.4 per cent of Victorians were regular smokers last year – down from 15.3 per cent in 2010 and 21.2 per cent in 1998, when the Quit Victoria survey began. Since 2005 regular smoking has declined most rapidly among young and disadvantaged people, who have traditionally been slow to take up anti-smoking messages. Cancer Council Victoria’s chief executive, Todd Harper, said smoking rates dropping below 15 per cent was a ”historic moment” that could be attributed to greater tobacco control over the past five years. Measures that contributed to the result included graphic warnings on cigarette packets, price increases, television advertising and smoke-free areas, he said. A total of 16.5 per cent of…

Jul 18, 2012 NACSOnline A new report found that one in 10 cigarettes sold in the European Union was illegal. BRUSSELS, Belgium – Over the years, Europe has steadily restricted smoking and jacked up cigarette taxes, but that hasn’t stopped contraband cigarettes from surging, the Wall Street Journal reports. A new report by KPMG found that one in 10 cigarettes were sold illegally in the European Union in 2011. Also complicating things are legally made cigarettes, so-called “illicit whites” that are smuggled into the EU from Ukraine and Russia, essentially becoming “duty-free” cigarettes. Illicit white smokes comprise nearly a quarter of all contraband cigarettes, a sharp increase from just 4% in 2007. The uptick of contraband cigarettes impacts tax revenue for the EU’s cash-strapped countries. The report puts the EU’s yearly shortfall from illegal cigarette sales at €11 billion. OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office) has stepped up its efforts to catch…

Jul 17, 2012 CSNews HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. — The village of Haverstraw, N.Y., will drop a local law that was to ban the display of tobacco products at retail locations, according to a Journal News report. Last night at a special meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a settlement with a group of retailers and manufacturers that filed a lawsuit challenging the ban, which was passed in April 2012 and would have gone into effect this October. The lawsuit claimed the ban violated the First Amendment right to free speech. Under the terms of the settlement, the group of plaintiffs, which includes the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), Lorillard Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., American Snuff Co. LLC, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Brands Inc., and John Middleton Co., agreed to drop the lawsuit if Haverstraw repeals the law. The Board…

Melissa Kress Jul 17, 2012 CSNews ORLANDO, Fla. — Two hundred years after Wawa Inc. began life as a textile manufacturer, the company is making what may be its biggest leap yet — at least, geographically speaking. Less than 24 hours before opening its doors to the public, the Pennsylvania-based retailer today offered an up-close and personal look into its first Florida convenience store. Perfectly situated across the street from Sea World on Central Florida Parkway in the heart of the Orlando tourism market, the store near the intersection of International Drive is just the beginning of Wawa’s journey into Florida. Similar in size to recent “gas station stores” in the company’s portfolio, the open floor plan has been specifically designed for the Florida market — down to the decor. Walking through the front door, it’s immediately apparent that the main focus here is Wawa’s foodservice offerings. Fresh coffee brewed…

July 17, 2012 New York Times Realty Trust, which owns and manages shopping malls, is experimenting with making them Internet-proof. The company concedes that if shoppers can buy something online, they will. So it is trying to fill one of its malls, in Scottsdale, Ariz., with businesses that do more than sell stuff. There are still clothing-only retailers at the mall, Scottsdale Quarter, but more than half of the stores offer dining or some other experience that cannot be easily replicated on the Web. That has Glimcher executives taking some unconventional approaches to finding suitable tenants — like testing out laser salons, getting hairstyling lessons and watching movies in a theater that serves food. Executives in suits descended last year on a prospective tenant in Manhattan, Make Meaning, where they mulled over making ceramics, candles and jewelry as their town cars waited outside. While a Scottsdale shopper can buy clothes…