Posts by theo@aacs.org.au

The Federal Government will halve the fuel excise on petrol and diesel for three months, reducing prices by 26.3 cents per litre. The measure, which was made following a national cabinet meeting convened by the prime minister, will run from 1 April to 30 June, and is expected to cut nearly $19 from the cost of filling a 65-litre tank. The government said the change was aimed at easing financial pressure caused by rising global fuel prices linked to the war in the Middle East. “The spike in fuel prices as a result of the war in the Middle East is hurting Australians and causing financial stress. This will help to provide some relief,” said the government in a joint statement. In a parallel move, the heavy vehicle road user charge will be reduced to zero for the same three-month period. The government will also defer the next scheduled increase…

Chargefox is teaming up with bp pulse, enabling access to its network of around 300 EV charging plugs on the Chargefox EV charging app. bp pulse Jerilderie features 7 plugs including 4 x 300kW. bp pulse’s network of EV charging sites will now be accessible to Chargefox app users and RFID card holders. This powerful integration connects bp pulse’s network with Australia’s most popular EV charging platform, providing Chargefox users seamless access to even more charging points. “We are thrilled to welcome bp pulse to our Chargefox platform” said Islam Hassan, Chief Customer Officer from Australian Motoring Services, operators of Chargefox. “Our goal for Chargefox is simple – provide the most chargers to the most drivers.” Chargefox brings together thousands of plugs from Australia’s leading charging networks so drivers can seamlessly find, use, and securely pay for a convenient recharge on any journey. “For bp pulse, being on the Chargefox…

NDG Operation TEMPEST26 was a three-phased joint agency operation to detect, deter and disrupt illicit tobacco networks that threaten Australia’s borders and the community. Phase one saw partner agencies collaborate and share critical information and intelligence with the NDG, identifying potential threats, persons of interest and criminal activity within the illicit tobacco networks in Queensland and South Australia. Information and intelligence supplied in phase one was assessed and triaged through the NDG, identifying a range of opportunities for disruption in the supply chain of illicit tobacco including import, storage, distribution and retail by mid-level criminals and enablers. This information fed into phase two – the coordinated high visibility week of action, which took place between Monday 23 and Saturday 28 February 2026. Over 75 locations were targeted, including shopfronts, warehouses and residential properties, with results from the nationally coordinated week of action highlighting the successful approach of NDG coordinating information…

Convenience-store retailers should prepare for how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the way they talk about their categories and how their customers will interact with their programs as AI becomes more pervasive, said Kyle Drenon, co-owner of the Springfield, Missouri-based ad agency Supper Co. They should do this “so we can anticipate how these new technologies will fit into our worlds,” said Drenon, who spoke Feb. 26 at CSP’s Convenience Retailing University in Austin, Texas. The rise of AI has fundamentally changed how c-stores interact with their customers, he said. Just since September, AI usage has grown by 75%, he said. More traffic from bots, less from humans Customers are not getting c-store messaging directly like they have in the past, Drenon said, adding that AI is writing, reading and filtering content for c-stores and their customers. AI will continue to grow in this intermediary role. “Human to robot communication…

Nearly 30% of sales today come through digital channels for foodservice in convenience, said Matt Van Gilder, vice president of omnichannel at NexChapter. In the future, it appears that digital sales will surpass 50% of sales, said Van Gilder of the Des Moines, Iowa-based consulting firm helping retailers with loyalty, retail media and digital commerce strategy. Van Gilder spoke Tuesday about foodservice and e-commerce at CSP’s Convenience Retailing University in Austin, Texas. He spoke with Mike Templeton, partner and vice president at NexChapter. The digital channel is the new front door of the convenience store and one of the primary ways customers are finding a business and its offerings, Van Gilder said. He added that this channel is shaping the way retailers communicate with customers. “That digital channel becomes the conduit by which you are reminding the customer about what you’ve got, and you know what they like, so you’re…

The 32 member countries unanimously agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves. The 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) this week unanimously agreed to make 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves available to the market to address disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, according to a press release. IEA said the decision to take emergency collective action was made following a meeting of IEA member governments earlier this week, convened by the IEA executive director to assess market conditions and consider the options to address supply disruptions. “The emergency stocks will be made available to the market over a timeframe that is appropriate to the national circumstances of each member country and will be supplemented by additional emergency measures by some countries,” IEA said. According to the release, IEA members hold emergency stockpiles of over 1.2 billion barrels,…