07/10/21; CSP Daily Retailers are optimistic about sales at year-end, but concerns persist around labour and product shortages, says NACS Photograph: Shutterstock ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Convenience-store retailers are bullish about their sales for 2021: Three in four convenience retailers (74%) expect year-end in-store sales to be better than 2020 and 67% expect in-store sales will top 2019 sales, according to a NACS retailer member survey conducted in September 2021. Only 11% of retailers expect their year-end in-store sales to fall below year-end 2020 sales and 13% say sales will be lower than 2019. Retailers are also optimistic about fuels sales: 67% say they will be higher in 2021 than in 2020, while 16% estimate that they will drop, compared to 2020 sales. Opinions are more divided around 2021 fuels sales compared to those in 2019: 36% say that sales will surpass totals from 2019 while 39% say they will decrease. The…

27/09/21; The Australian Hydrogen could lower emissions but commercial production may be years away. Australia’s biggest hydrogen developers have called on the Morrison government to create a $19bn Net Zero fund, aimed at slashing emissions and speeding up the fuel’s rollout to the steel and heavy transport industries and in the nation’s gas sector by 2030. With business leaders calling on Scott Morrison to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050 and adopt more ambitious 2030 targets, the industry wants the big commitment from Canberra to ensure business can become a global hydrogen player by 2030 and a top-three ­exporter of the fuel to Asian markets. The fund would be managed by a newly established Net Zero Authority, covering research through to commercialisation, grants and finance and ensuring Some of the country’s biggest investors and developers – including ANZ, NAB, Woodside Petroleum, Origin Energy, Wesfarmers and Fortescue Metals Group – are members of…

04/10/21; Canberra Times  Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Picture: Dion Georgopoulos A growing chorus of Australians believe a cheaper digital payments system should be available as an alternative to heavyweights Visa and Mastercard. New research from payments provider eftpos has found an increasing number of consumers believe small businesses should have the ability to opt in for lower merchant fees through the Least Cost Routing network. The response comes after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg urged the Reserve Bank to implement the LCR system to reduce costs and create a more equal playing field for businesses. His comments regarding LCR have also been targeted towards tap and go payments being rewired through a cheaper debit transaction system, such as eftpos. Currently, tap and go transactions incur higher transaction fees as the systems are put through as a Visa, Mastercard or American Express payments. Eftpos says businesses having access to cheaper merchant fees has become increasingly important,…

07/10/21; Convenience & Impulse Retailing A world-first shopping centre drone delivery service is revolutionising last-mile delivery for businesses in Logan, Queensland. Wing, Australia’s first on-demand residential drone delivery service, is partnering with leading Australian retail property group, Vicinity Centres, to pilot a new model of delivery, flying goods from retail shopping centre rooftops, directly to homes and businesses. Wing and Vicinity Centres have been piloting the drone delivery service, since mid-August, delivering goods on-demand from a range of businesses located at the centre directly to consumers. In the first six weeks of service, Wing made more than 2,500 contactless drone deliveries from Grand Plaza to customers in parts of the Logan suburbs of Regents Park, Heritage Park, Park Ridge, Browns Plains, Marsden, Crestmead, and Berrinba. The service will soon expand to more customers and offer delivery from other businesses located at the centre. Last-mile delivery is one of the costliest…