Press Releases

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) and C&I Media have announced a new five-year strategic alliance to commence from 2026. AACS, the peak body for convenience retailing in Australia, and C&I Media, the leading media outlet representing the petrol and convenience industry, will co-locate their major annual events commencing from March 2026 in Sydney at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICC Sydney). This partnership will provide the ideal platform for retailers and suppliers to come together and hear from some of the leading minds in the P&C industry at AACS Connect, while also being able to showcase, discover, and learn new trends at the industry’s biggest trade show, the C&I Expo. Safa de Valois, Group Publisher of C&I Media, said this partnership is a game-changer for the petrol and convenience industry. “By aligning these events, we’re providing an unparalleled platform for knowledge sharing and innovation. Retailers and suppliers…

Retailers have welcomed a plan by the Federal Government to cut greedy debit card fees set by financial institutions, in a move that will save customers up to an estimated $4 billion in unnecessary surcharges each year. Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said cutting fees would save Australians much needed money and stop retailers from being blamed for a cash grab driven by the banks. Any ban on surcharging would only be supported if the relevant reform to the payments system is implemented to slash card fees levied on retailers. “Retailers have seen their merchant fees explode over the last few years, while the profits of the big banks have continued to balloon. “While major retailers like Coles and Woolworths don’t apply surcharges because they are on strategic rates with the banks, small businesses are often forced to pass on the cost of the electronic payment…

Uncontrolled debit fees adding $12 to a school laptop, and $6.40 for a car service Canberra, 10 October 2024: A list of initiatives to reduce the cost of living were presented to the Government in Canberra today, aiming to slash the price of items purchased on billions of debit card payments at Aussie businesses, and significantly reduce surcharging. Independent Payments Forum (IPF) members joined co-founders Brad Kelly and Warwick Ponder to present the plan to Assistant Treasury, the Hon Stephen Jones, Small Business Minister, the Hon Julie Collins and fee campaigner Mr Jerome Laxale MP. IPF also met with Opposition shadow ministers and their advisers. The 10-point plan presented by the forum would significantly increase accountability and reduce the cost of debit card payments, which are by far the preferred retail payment method in Australia, accounting for 79% of card purchases, or almost 12 billion transactions a year. “Cost of…

At a busy tobacconist in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston, a constant flow of customers are walking through the front door and leaving with colourful packets of cigarettes in their hands. It is in stark contrast to the scene at three other tobacconists nearby — and there is one key reason for the difference. One of the customers, a 68-year-old man, walks out and reveals to 7.30 he’s bought 10 packets of illegal cigarettes for $150. The man doesn’t want to be identified but is happy to open his shopping bag and show us his purchase. At just $15 each, the packets are labelled “Manchester”, a brand of tobacco that can’t be bought legally in Australia. He says the same number of plain-packaged legal cigarettes would have cost him more than $300. Tobacco sales in freefall as illicit trade booms Industry data obtained by 7.30 indicates a third of the legal…

In the main committee room of Parliament House, Labor MP Jerome Laxale held up a crumpled $5 polymer banknote. Why, he asked the bosses of Australia’s major banks, if he paid for the same cup of coffee with his debit card did it cost $5.08? He produced a debit card with the inflated price taped to its front to ram home the apparent injustice, like a referee wielding a red card. It was a simple question, and one that is being asked all over the country. Tap-and-go debit card surcharges have become a political firestorm. Robert Duong When a $40 round of drinks shows up on an electronic payment terminal as $40.64, nobody can say precisely where the 64¢ goes. And when these charges are aggregated across the economy, the cents add up to big dollars. Australians spend $1 trillion on credit and debit cards annually, racking up 15 billion electronic…

Yesterday, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announced it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire GetGo Café +Markets from supermarket retailer Giant Eagle Inc. According to a press release, GetGo employs approximately 3,500 people and operates approximately 270 convenience retail and fueling locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana. As part of this transaction, “Couche-Tard and Giant Eagle have agreed to maintain and partner together on Giant Eagle’s widely popular myPerks loyalty program.” “We are excited to welcome GetGo into the Couche-Tard family. As we learn more about the GetGo business, it is clear that it has built a strong and passionate customer base with high-quality stores staffed by talented and engaged teams working to deliver a great experience. We have deep respect for its management and people as well as its outstanding food and loyalty programs. We look forward to growing together as we learn from and continue GetGo’s innovative approaches…