Industry News

Colin Kruger April 25, 2013 The Age The ‘Harvey Norman test’: if consumers start spending on big ticket items, other categories are likely to follow. Australians are starting to spend big again, literally, with the sales of fridges and washing machines returning to healthy levels, and the news could not be better for Australia’s liquor industry. It’s called the Harvey Norman test. When consumers start spending again on large white goods, it is a good indicator that there is a healthy pick-up in spending that will flow into other retail categories – like your local bottleshop. So according to consumer analyst group Nielsen, the bubbly should be popping on the news last week that Harvey Norman is returning to sales growth in its core Australian business. ‘‘This supports our view that the cycle is improving and the worst is behind us,’’ said retail analysts from Morgan Stanley of the retailer’s…

AskMen April 09, 2013 AskMen takes a look at what it takes to be in the top 10 per cent. This answer, by Robert Scoble, originally appeared on Quora. We think it’s worthwhile reading, so we’re sharing it here. I’ve interviewed thousands of CEOs and [here are] some things that stand out to me: 1. Good At Hiring And Firing Whenever you find a really great CEO you find someone who has a knack for hiring. That means selling other people on your dream or your business. Especially when it doesn’t seem all that important or seems very risky. I used to work for a CEO who was awesome at hiring, but couldn’t fire anyone. Doomed the business. Many of the best CEOs get others to follow no matter what. 2. Builds A Culture, Not Just A Company The best CEOs, like Tony Hsieh at Zappos, build a culture that…

April 25, 2013 Altria Group Inc., the largest seller of tobacco in the U.S., is getting into the e-cig business. The company announced that its subsidiary Nu Mark is planning to introduce an electronic cigarette in the second half of 2013, Bloomberg reported. The electronic cigarette will be sold in an undisclosed market. As demand traditional cigarette sales are declining, electronic cigarettes are inching closer to the mainstream. Chief Executive Officer Martin Barrington is aiming to catch up to smaller rivals, such as NJOY and Lorillard Inc. (LO), which says its blu eCigs brand controls more than 40% of the U.S. market. Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) said this week it plans to expand its Vuse e-cigarette this year, according to Bloomberg. Lorillard CEO Murray Kessler told analysts yesterday the company estimates that electronic cigarette sales displaced consumption of about 600 million cigarettes in the first quarter. That totals an annual…

BLAIR SPEEDY April 26, 2013 The Australian ONLINE retailer GroceryRun is reporting a surge in sales as shoppers seek out products the major supermarkets have dropped in favour of in-house brands. General manager Kalman Polak said sales were growing about 38 per cent ahead of last year, thanks to an influx of major suppliers coming on board to sell through the site. “In the last six months we’ve picked up Kraft, Nestle, Purina pet food, Mission Foods, Cussons, Suisse, Musashi and CSR sugar,” Mr Polak said. He said the addition of new suppliers was helping the company attract even more, as manufacturers didn’t want to forgo a lucrative sales channel. “Suppliers are telling us that a year ago they didn’t think the site was for them, but now they see their competitors on here they feel they’re missing out,” he said. GroceryRun is a subsidiary of fast-growing online retail player…

James McCullough April 25, 2013 Herald Sun SUPER Retail Group is actively searching for acquisitions to help fuel the growth it hopes will catapult it to among the top five retailers in Australia, chief executive Peter Birtles says. “We want to be in the top five so for us that means a turnover of $3 billion-plus,” Mr Birtles said. He said Super Retail had pinned its growth opportunities on increasing its number of stores in Australia and New Zealand which currently number 600 across seven brands, increasing its online presence and looking for new acquisitions. “I promised the board after we acquired Rebel Sport we would not make any more acquisitions for at least two years ago and that was now over 18 months ago,” Mr Birtles said. “There is now the opportunity to look at acquisitions in our existing categories and in other categories.” Pressed later, Mr Birtles said…