Kathleen Furore CSNews “Today started early with a stop at Rutter’s. I went straight to the touchscreen kiosk with a mission to create the greatest breakfast bowl ever! With so many toppings to fill the bowl, my mind started to twist and turn in chaos. Wow, so many choices! There must be 100 different ways to create a breakfast bowl. I started with the basics, ya know, egg, bacon and cheese, and then it got to the hard part. Well, it was for me, especially when you’re as fickle as I am. The layering of toppings began with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, mushrooms and olives. Sounds good, but then the kiosk asked me if I would like anything else, and I answered with hash browns! With all the choices available, what could a girl do but layer it on.” That customer comment, posted on Rutter’s Farm Stores’ blog and featured…

Jan 25, 2013 CSNews OAK BROOK, Ill — McDonald’s announced yesterday that its Dollar menu will be seeing some big changes in an effort to boost struggling sales. Starting in February, the fast-food retailer will introduce its first new product, Fish McBites, made with the same Alaskan pollock as the Filet-O-Fish. In addition, new items will also include burgers, chicken entrees and breakfast offerings that are performing well in test markets, reported the Associated Press. McDonald’s has faced increasing competition from Burger King, Taco Bell and Wendy’s, which have also revamped their menus. Chain eateries like Chipotle and Panera also pose a threat with higher-quality food, but for a higher price. To deal with these challenges, McDonald’s has said it plans to increase the frequency of its limited-time offerings. McDonald’s also told the AP that it does not plan to add many items to its Dollar Menu unless they are…

26 January 2013 BBC News Fuel campaigners are warning petrol prices might jump 4p per litre “in coming days”. The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said a “full review” of the wholesale fuel market was needed. The AA said a review would help to tackle the “fuel industry’s treatment of drivers, consumers and businesses”. Next week the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is due to report on whether reductions in the price of crude oil are being passed on to drivers. The OFT is set to announce whether a full investigation of fuel prices is needed. ‘Help consumers’ The PRA said “despite recent arctic weather cutting fuel demand across northern Europe and refinery chiefs complaining at their glut of petrol capacity”, wholesale costs had risen by 5p per litre in the four weeks since Christmas. Average prices at the pumps had gone up by around 1p – according to Experian Catalist…

Carolyn Cummins Jan. 28, 2013 RETAILERS are bracing themselves for another challenging year as another flood of high-profile international labels arrive and consumers hunt online for bargains. And it is doubtful a drop in interest rates will help their woes, with fears of unemployment continuing to prompt consumers to plough cash into household savings. Big-name European brands like H&M are tipped to secure sites in Sydney within the next few months, while the Japanese group Uniqlo is already opening in Melbourne’s new Emporium. The redevelopment of 357 Collins Street will also see the opening of a Thomas Pink menswear label, part of the Louis Vuitton stable and leasing is under way at the former AMP Square, on the corner of Bourke and William streets. There are a number of new developments across all capital cities intent on providing appropriate flagship space for international players, all of whom want to open…

Stephen Drill, Steve Lewis January 29, 2013 Herald Sun VICTORIAN businesses are paying up to 17 per cent more for electricity since the introduction of the carbon tax and fear jobs may be lost as costs continue to rise. A report from the Australian Industry Group found that, on average, business energy costs have soared 14.5 per cent since the tax came into law on July 1. The manufacturing sector, which is already struggling with the impact of the high Australian dollar, was the hardest hit by the new tax, with 61 per cent of businesses reporting they had higher input costs since its introduction. Greg Northrop, who runs electrical cabling manufacturer Tycab Australia in South Dandenong, said his company power bill had increased by $120,000 a year to almost $700,000. “We put out a letter to our customers and told them about the carbon tax effect and we were…

Tim Michell January 29, 2013 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader TWO Monash businesses have been fined and six reprimanded after being caught selling cigarettes to minors in an undercover council sting. The Department of Health operation saw Monash Council employ a teenager to go undercover to buy cigarettes, visiting 20 businesses across the municipality. Of those, eight sold cigarettes to the 16-year-old boy, including one that had previously been found to be selling cigarettes to minors and one the council had received complaints about. Those businesses, in Glen Waverley and Mt Waverley, were both fined $563. The remaining six shops were issued with a warning notice and told they will be fined if they are caught again. The council has also asked the Federal Government to investigate the Glen Waverley business after it was found to be in breach of Federal Government plain packaging laws. The business is alleged to have sold a cigarette…