Industry News

Anne Wright Herald Sun May 28, 2012 Some local councils want Victoria to catch up with other states by introducing a statewide policy to ban smoking in outdoor drinking and dining areas, Quit Victoria executive director Fiona Sharkie said. She said every time a council proposed a ban within its municipality, local traders argued their business would move to a neighbouring suburb. Victoria is the only state without an outdoor smoking ban, tobacco licensing, and with no policy on smoking at public hospitals and health facilities. “Everybody else has already done it so it’s a bit of a no-brainer,” she told the Herald Sun yesterday. Victoria was this weekend awarded the 2012 “Dirty Ashtray” award by the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Council on Smoking and Health for having the least effective state government policies to combat smoking. Municipal Association of Victoria president Bill McArthur said councils had been…

Russell Emmerson Herald Sun May 28, 2012 Thomsons Lawyers partner David Gaszner says the Billy Baxter’s franchise case is likely to make franchisors more conservative. AUSTRALIA’S $202 billion franchising industry must get back to basics and back up its promises when trying to attract new business partners, a court has warned. A Victorian appeal case has found franchisees establishing a new Billy Baxter’s restaurant were misled by representations over the revenue and profit they could expect in the first year. The Court of Appeal said the initial figures provided by a representative for the restaurant chain were based on the turnover of a restaurant at a suburb near the new South Australian franchise and the income needed to cover the rent. Although these were accompanied by the required warnings about independent advice, there was “no logical connection” to support the estimates. Franchise Council of Australia executive director Steve Wright said…

The Daily Telegraph May 28, 2012 WELCOME to the age of e-tailor 2.0, where you can buy an outfit with the click of the mouse – and be wearing it just hours later. In the fight for your digital dollars, online clothes stores are luring customers with a range of ultra-express delivery services. Sites such as The Iconic and StyleTread now offer three-hour delivery to certain areas for orders placed before 6pm. This means you can order a new outfit at work on Friday and be wearing it well before you hit the town. The Iconic has been offering a three-hour courier delivery since last November. The service incurs a $4.95 charge but the delivery area extends from Penrith to the Sutherland Shire in Sydney’s southern suburbs and up to Palm Beach on the northern beaches. Managing director Adam Jacobs said sales spiked towards the end of the week, with…

Matt Chambers The Australian May 28, 2012 EXXONMOBIL says it is on track to turn around a 2011 loss at its Altona refinery and is flagging potential expansion in the face of strong headwinds that continue to pressure the shrinking industry in Australia. But the company’s new head of Australian and New Zealand refining, Andrew Warrell, said that while there were no plans to close the Melbourne refinery, threats to the industry were real and the Gillard government’s carbon tax would bring further strain. “We’re making money this year (at Altona),” Mr Warrell, who took over as head of refining in January, told The Australian. “I don’t think that’s what my competitors are saying. So despite the very tough conditions, we’re managing to make money and we have a very good improvement program at the site that makes me confident we can grow profitability.” The number of Australia’s remaining oil…