Industry News

Natasha Gillezeau Oct 28, 2019 AFR One man, one woman. Their teeth are straight and clean, thanks to their premium private health insurance policies. They laugh gracefully, not gregariously. They are thinking about negative gearing, or maybe they just updated their will. Big Pharma stands beside them, holding drugs for aching joints. A nursing home looms in the middle distance. The image all too familiar to over 50s in marketing. From marketing to mainstream media, this picture of what getting older means is both familiar and pervasive. But chances are, if you are over 50, you hate this image. In fact, 94 per cent of people over 50 dislike the way brands and marketers communicate with them, according to new research from the WPP AUNZ agency, Lightspeed. Its report, Secrets and Lies: Ageless and Booming, examines the “lies” about the over 50s demographic that marketers buy into. The findings are…

ROSIE LEWIS OCTOBER 20, 2019 The Australian The ACT government has conceded it may have to amend new laws to protect Canberrans who possess small amounts of cannabis, after Attorney-General Christian Porter warned personal use of the drug will still be illegal in the nation’s capital. The territory’s Legislative Assembly moved to legalise the possession, use and cultivation of marijuana last month, passing a controversial private member’s bill that allows adults to possess up to 50gm of cannabis and grow two plants. Individual households can have up to four plants. Mr Porter, who has been scrutinising the legislation for a couple of weeks, said the ACT bill had failed to override Commonwealth law that makes it illegal to possess cannabis. “They’re terrible laws for a variety of reasons. I’ve written to the ACT AG (Gordon Ramsay) today, simply stating what is the best advice that we’ve received about the legal…

Associated Press October 18, 2019 A Google affiliate is using drones to deliver customers’ Walgreens purchases in a test being run in a Virginia town. Wing, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, received federal approval earlier this year to make commercial deliveries by drone. It was the first drone company to receive the approval in the U.S., beating out Amazon’s Prime Air. Wing partnered with Walgreens to perform the tests that began Friday in Christiansburg, Virginia. Walgreens customers in the town will be able to order from a list of more than 100 items and get them delivered to their doors by drones. The drones will start with a flying radius of about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) from Wing’s distribution facility in Christiansburg. Wing has also launched tests in Australia and Helsinki, Finland.

Kate Dwyer August 30, 2019 FORTUNE.COM baristas are carving a space between coffee bars and vending machines, catering to time-crunched consumers who want quality coffee without waiting in line. There are a few robotic coffee startups gaining traction in the U.S., such as Cafe X, Briggo, and Truebird. Each one has a different vibe, but all operate under the same ethos: To serve up specialty coffee more efficiently with a bit of whimsy. Briggo’s Coffee Haus is a kiosk resembling a log cabin, Truebird looks like a gentrified Brooklyn street vendor, and Cafe X plays up the entertainment value of preparing cups of joe with a robotic arm surrounded by glass. In 2017, San Francisco-based Cafe X opened a downtown location in the Metreon, near a Target and movie theater. In 2018, it opened a storefront nearby on Market Street with dedicated seating, similar to the setup at tech-reliant Luckin,…

10/18/2019 CSNEWS BOSTON — Price and speed are a winning combination for convenience stores. According to new analysis by Edge by Ascential, the U.S. convenience and discount channels are projected to grow faster than all other offline retail channels over the next five years, reflecting consumers’ increased focus on price and speed, even if it means more limited assortment. Non-food discount, food discount and c- stores are all projected for annual growth rates above 5 percent, whereas all other offline retailers, aside from membership club stores, are projected at annual growth rates of 3 percent or below. C-stores are projected for the highest growth at 5.4 percent, with discount and non-food discount stores projected at 5.3 percent and 5 percent, respectively. The forecast seems to reflect broader economic trends. Paychecks remain relatively steady as unemployment continue at historic lows; however, wages remain stagnant for many workers, placing increased sensitivity on…

HEATHER MCILVAINE October 18, 2019 SmartCompany David Jones has launched its first standalone food store in Melbourne in a bid to lock down Australia’s gourmet grocery market and take share from Coles and Woolworths by offering fresher and, it argues, tastier prepared food. The 425sqm store, located on the ground level of Capitol Grand, a high-end residential and retail development on Chapel Street in South Yarra, stocks a large range of prepared meals, including a newly launched vegan range, alongside meat, eggs, dairy, fresh produce and other groceries and pantry staples, such as pasta, olive oil, tea and biscuits. Roughly 60% of items in the store are private label, most of which were developed exclusively for David Jones by Inspired Foods, the Australian arm of Interfood, South Africa’s leading food supplier. According to Pieter de Wet, David Jones’ managing director of food, this partnership gives the retailer a competitive edge in…