Dick Smith July 4, 2012 The Age ‘The evidence shows that by the time most of us get to the check-out, all we really care about is price.’ THE mysterious foreign bid for iconic retailer David Jones has fallen through, but it emphasises the vulnerability of some of our major retailers to cashed-up buyers. With few opportunities for expansion in Europe or America, it is only a matter of time before buyers come knocking on Australian doors. All of which puts into context the position of our dominant supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths. There has been a lot of fuss recently about their power in the marketplace. Ministers say they are too powerful, while the competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, says it is investigating. But don’t hold your breath that anything will change any time soon. The truth is that the big retailers are only doing exactly…

CSD Staff Jul 03, 2012 Japan’s second largest c-store chain hits the U.S. market this summer. Lawson, Japan’s second largest convenience store chain, comes to the U.S. this Saturday as the company opens its first two stores in Waikiki, Hawaii. According to Pacific Business News, the two stores will be by the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and the Moana Surfrider on Kalakaua Avenue. The stores will be managed by a Lawson subsidiary that was created in January. Takeshi Niinami, Lawson CEO, told the press in April he hopes to open 30 to 50 outlets in Hawaii, and the company has goals to further expand to the U.S. mainland.

Chris Zappone July 4, 2012 The Age Retail sales rose more than expected in May as rate cuts and government assistance for students and the carbon tax began flowing into households. Sales for the month rose 0.5 per cent from April, beating the 0.2 per cent increase expected by economists. Retail trade rose in the month to a seasonally adjusted $21.307 billion, compared with a revised $21.199 billion in April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. The ABS revised the April figure to show a 0.1 per cent increase – making it five consecutive monthly increases and the longest string of rises for the gauge since September 2010. The Reserve Bank slashed interest rates by half a percentage in May, a move it followed up with a further quarter-point cut in June. Both cuts would have helped those repaying variable interest-rate loans. The central bank opted to leave its key…

July 4, 2012 The Age A week at the Gold Coast during school holidays feels like a never-ending series of queues. Long lines to enter theme parks were followed by even longer lines for rides. There were big queues at airports, restaurants, hotel check-ins and check-outs, and taxis after the football. Don’t think this is another rant about woeful customer service. Long queues at tourism attractions are unavoidable when you and thousands of other families go on holiday at the same time and place. But surely one of the great opportunities in Australian business is to kill the queue. Think of it this way: every minute wasted in a queue is a minute of dead time for a service business, and a lost opportunity to get more money out of a customer’s wallet before they leave the store. The 30 minutes spent waiting for a theme-park ride is 30 minutes…

Jeff Rogut July 4th 2012 The article below was featured in The Age newspaper. It is a stark reminder to all that no matter what initiatives or, as in this case, taxes the government introduces, we need to be responsible in our actions. There is a focus now on the carbon tax, which may impact your businesses [both suppliers and retailers alike] and there will no doubt be a focus on the plain packaging of tobacco planned for introduction later this year. By treating these matters lightly you do potentially run the risk of financial as well as reputational damage and it is therefore wise to seek specialist advice if you are uncertain about any aspects of the measures, or if you fail to comply with their requirements. Our industry takes our retail responsibility seriously, so it is worthwhile ensuring that your teams are aware of their actions during times…

July 4, 2012 The Age The parent company of Brumby’s has apologised over carbon tax advice given to the bakery franchisees, saying it was foolish and ill-considered. The advice from Brumby’s managing director, Deane Priest says stores can make more money by raising prices now, because people will blame the carbon tax. “We are doing an RRP (recommended retail price) review at present which is projected to be in line with CPI (consumer price index), but take the opportunity to make some moves in June and July,” Mr Priest wrote in the June edition of Backmix, an internal newsletter. “Let the carbon tax take the blame, after all, your costs will be going up due to it.” Retail Food Group chief executive Tony Alford said in a statement to the stock exchange today the comments “were not sanctioned and are of significant concern to the board”. “Following thorough investigation of…