Industry News

June 19, 2012 The Age Retailer Harvey Norman plans to be a market leader in the domestic solar industry after placing a substantial order for user-friendly solar panels. United States-based Westinghouse said it had received an order for five megawatts of its Solar Instant Connect solar panel systems from Harvey Norman. The order represents a significant investment in the green technology, which will result in Westinghouse’s shipments in 2012 more than doubling from 2011. Harvey Norman said the uptake of solar energy in Australia was stronger than in most other parts of the world, with over 830 megawatts sold in the local market in 2011. “With Australian power pricing continuing to rise, we are continuing to see very strong demand for solar installations,” Harvey Norman commercial division franchisee Alan Stephenson said in a statement. “In addition to supplying kitchen, bathroom items, hot water and air conditioning systems, we have established…

Jo-Anne Hui May 15, 2012 The Age Late-night greasy kebabs, soft-serve ice cream and meat pies were once the domain of mobile food vendors, but the recent food truck movement is giving budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to get creative and explore new culinary delicacies – all on wheels. Simon Michelangeli is the founder of cafe Fugazza in Melbourne, which was inspired by traditional Italian sandwich shops. Customers can enjoy his delicious homemade focaccia from both the CBD-based cafe and his customised vintage food truck. This way, he is able to bring his food to people who wouldn’t normally visit his cafe and spread word of his business. “It’s an old pizza van we found advertised in Cooma. We picked it up, brought it to Melbourne and gave it some love, adding hardwood benchtops, a new paint job in our colours and updating some of the equipment,” Michelangeli says. “There’s a…

21 June 2012 NACS Online Images of cancerous mouths and emaciated lung cancer victims are two of 16 new graphic labels that now appear on tobacco products sold in Canada. TORONTO – “Would you like oral cancer with those cigarettes?” is just one of 16 new graphic messages that began appearing on tobacco products throughout Canada earlier this week, the Toronto Star reports. Approved last September, the law requires that the labels cover 75% of each cigarette pack and cigar box, an effort to curb smoking. “Today we’ve fulfilled our promise to put new, larger health warnings on cigarette and little cigar packages across Canada,” said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq earlier this week. “This initiative continues our efforts to inform Canadians — especially young people — about the health hazards of smoking.” The graphic labels depict a number of scenarios, including cancerous mouths, tongues covered in white splotches, and a…

By Staff Writer news.com.au June 22, 2012 FANCY stepping into the role of non-executive director? Don’t bother if you are an egocentric, talk for the sake of talking or are too timid to speak out. These are some of the least desirable traits in every boardroom, according to a report released by talent management company Korn/Ferry International. What was once seen as a cushy number, the role of the non-executive director has become more formidable as members are expected to grapple with new technologies, a rapidly changing economic environment and increased scrutiny on compliance. Individuals who “really get” the changing landscape of technology and have a global market outlook are in highest demand in corporate Australia boardrooms. However “nodders”, non-stop talkers, egocentrics and hobbyhorse jockeys are the type of people boardrooms do not want. “[Hobbyhorse jockeys] focus on a narrow area which they know and other issues appear irrelevant,” says…

BLAIR SPEEDY The Australian June 22, 2012 WINE industry veteran Wolf Blass has attacked supermarket majors Coles and Woolworths for slashing returns for winemakers and called for an industry-wide levy to promote Australian wine overseas. “The biggest risk in the domestic market is the catastrophic duopoly controlling 60 per cent of our market,” said Mr Blass, whose eponymous brand is now owned by Treasury Wine Estates. “It is a situation where there is no profit to be made, and if there is no profit there is no money for development.” Mr Blass, who now works as a brand ambassador for TWE, promoting the Wolf Blass label at home and abroad, said the company needed to do more to support independent retailers and restaurants to help maintain a profitable market for its own products in the face of cut-throat discounting by the supermarket majors. “We have to protect the independents and…

Jun 21, 2012 CSNews NEW YORK — Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is developing three new products, one of which is a cigarette that poses lower health risks to users. The cigarette, which heats tobacco rather than burning it, will be ready by 2017. The three products would be sold under the existing brands like Marlboro. PMI’s COO Andre Calantzopoulos revealed the development news in a speech prepared for a meeting today with investors in Lausanne, Switzerland, according to Bloomberg. “We are on the eve of what we all believe could be a paradigm shift for our industry,” CEO Louis Camilleri said in a speech. The new products have “the very real potential to not only be a game-changer, but also be the key to unlock several hitherto virgin territories, most notably the huge Chinese market.” The “most promising” of the lower-risk products would heat tobacco or generate aerosol that…