Industry News

Mark Hawthorne and Madeleine Heffernan July 6, 2012 The Age Woolworths has threatened to remove products from shelves if cost savings are not found. SUPPLIERS to Woolworths claim they have been given two weeks to cut their prices by up to 10per cent or have their goods removed from shelves — with no commitment from the supermarket giant to lower prices to consumers. The squeeze on suppliers — described by one of them as “the most brutal negotiations… in my three decades in the industry” — is being mounted by Woolworths to help fund its price war with Coles. Independent senator Nick Xenophon, an outspoken critic of the combined 80 per cent market share of Woolworths and rival Coles, said yesterday he would be calling for Woolworths to be pulled before a Senate inquiry to explain its actions. Woolworths and Coles are already facing scrutiny from the Australian Competition and…

Michelle Ainsworth Herald Sun July 06, 2012 POLICE are hunting for a man believed responsible for a spate of robberies in the eastern suburbs overnight. A man used a screwdriver to threaten staff at a Mount Waverley convenience store about 5.30pm yesterday. He stole cash from the store at the corner of Waverley and Huntingdale Rds before fleeing. Police believe the same man then robbed a convenience store at the corner of Waverley and Batesford Rds in Malvern East about 1am. Just 15 minutes later he returned to the first store in Mt Waverley and again robbed it. It’s believed the man then headed to Glen Waverley where he held up a convenience store on Blackburn Rd, near Meadow Cres, about 2.30am. In all four robberies the man threatened staff with a screwdriver and stole cash before fleeing. The man is described as aged in his 30s, Caucasian, 175-180cm tall,…

Jul 05, 2012 CSNews WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three convenience store chains have landed on the annual STORES Top 100 Retailers list, with 7-Eleven Inc. snagging the highest ranking at No. 35. Joining the Dallas-based c-store chain are Army Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) at No. 47 and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. at No. 76. Coming in at No. 1 on the list is Walmart, followed by Kroger at No. 2 and Target at No. 3. According to the STORES report, 7-Eleven experienced 19.1-percent sales growth last year, while AAFES saw a slight decrease in sales growth of 0.1 percent and Couche-Tard posted 16.6-percent sales growth in 2011. Specifically, the report put 7-Eleven’s 2011 U.S. retail sales at $10,361,000; AAFES’s sales at $8,228,000; and Couche-Tard’s at $4,867,000. The report also noted that AAFES is among a few one-of-a-kind-retailers on the Top 100 list. The company operates base and post exchanges, which include…

Jul 05, 2012 CSNews NEW YORK — Smartphone use currently influences 5.1 percent of annual retail store sales, which translates into $159 billion in forecasted sales for 2012, according to a new study conducted by Deloitte Digital. Based on consumers’ smartphone use, Deloitte anticipates that mobile’s influence will grow to represent 19 percent of total retail store sales by 2016, amounting to $689 billion in mobile-influenced sales. By comparison, direct mobile commerce sales will pass the $30-billion mark by that time, according to industry estimates. The in-depth study – billed by Deloitte as a first for the industry — measures the “mobile influence factor,” or impact of smartphones on in-store sales. The survey was commissioned by Deloitte Digital and conducted online by an independent research company from March 20-30. The survey polled a national sample of 1,041 consumers and then implemented this sample with additional smartphone owners to reach a…

HIM! www.himaustralia.com.au Beverages remain an incredibly important category in the convenience channel. The category’s penetration continues to increase and has grown from 45% to 52% in the last 2 years alone. The beverage shopper is an important shopper for retailers and also for other categories in store. As a shopper with a larger basket (2.5 items v’s CTP average of 2.2) and clearly defined shopping missions and paths in store the beverage category has the ability to drive shopper behaviour in the channel. Let’s have quick look at some key sub-categories and key facts. Energy Drinks: The category had the highest penetration within the category at 21%. There is a sales peak between 9 AM- 10 AM. 18-34 Singles make up 38% of the shopper base followed by Busy Providers at 25% Cola: Busy Providers make up 33% of shoppers Nearly 50% of the busy providers who bought cola also…

Toppy Chanthavong June 26, 2012 The Age You could soon get 10c a pop for every aluminium can and plastic or glass bottle you recycle – if state and national environmental groups get their way. A national container deposits campaign rallied outside Parliament House yesterday to drum up support for a 10c refund to be introduced nationwide for empty bottles returned for recycling. The Boomerang Alliance, an environmental organisation that organised the rally, said about 13 billion recyclable bottles are used in Australia each year – and only five billion are actually recycled, with the remaining eight billion going to litter or landfill. The organisation’s national convenor, Jeff Angel, said the aim of the campaign was to help reduce Australia’s waste. ”[Our goal is] a national container deposit system which will massively reduce the eight billion landfilled or littered containers every year,” he said. Clean Up Australia’s executive chairman Ian…