Greed blamed for petrol price spike
Chris Zappone October 19, 2012 The Age A recent spike in petrol prices in Sydney and Melbourne cannot be explained by market fundamentals and is likely a case of industry greed, petrol price analysts say. The average national price of petrol has risen consistently over the past 12 weeks, reaching $1.47 a litre last week – up from $1.37 in August – according to the Australian Institute of Petroleum. More recently the price of unleaded reached $1.56 a litre in Melbourne and $1.50 a litre in Sydney, according to petrol-price tracking site MotorMouth. “We’ve seen in the past two or three days an increase of around 20¢ a litre,” said Australian Automobile Association executive director Andrew McKellar. “That’s not justified by the fundamentals of what’s happening in terms of either international refined product prices or exchange rates. “Our concern is that there is no real justification for the spike we’re…
Read MoreCost of household basics rise at twice cost of inflation
Jessica Irvine News Limited newspapers October 22, 2012 THE costs of basic household necessities – electricity, petrol, vegetables and the like – have risen at more than twice the rate of inflation over the past decade. Ahead of key inflation figures due on Wednesday, News Limited analysis of Bureau of Statistics data found water and sewerage rates were the biggest price pressure point, more than doubling (up by 111 per cent). Overall, the cost of the average basket of consumer goods purchased by households increased by 31 per cent. But many households experienced even steeper price rises. Households on the dole went backwards in real terms over the decade, as their benefits increased in line with inflation, but their household costs went up by an even greater 38 per cent. Necessities make up a bigger slice of spending for lower income households and these items dominate a list of the…
Read MoreAussie Halloween is on for young and … young
Eli Greenblat October 22, 2012 The Age FAMILIES are expected to hack away at 100,000 pumpkins this year, devour candy by the bucket and dress their kids with fangs, spooky ghost sheets or witches’ hats as the ghoulish festival of Halloween becomes increasingly popular across Australian households. Leading supermarket chains have poured millions of dollars into promoting Halloween, celebrated on the last night of October, with sales of easier-to-carve Jack O’Lantern pumpkins already up 30 per cent. Confectioners have created special Halloween chocolates for the Australian market to feed the growing popularity of the essentially American ritual, with Coles reporting sales of chocolate on Halloween day three times higher than on normal trading days. ”People will start shopping from this week on but really October 30 is our biggest trading day around Halloween,” said Coles general manager of merchandise Chris Garlick. ”We are seeing a gradual increase in how many…
Read MoreStudy backs minimum pricing for alcohol
Amy Corderoy October 22, 2012 The Age THE evidence in favour of minimum pricing for alcohol is so strong it is only a matter of time before it is introduced, says the author of new research that found the policy had drastic effects when it was implemented overseas. The Canadian study has found a 10 per cent increase in the minimum price of alcohol was linked to nearly an 8.5 per cent decrease in alcohol consumption. The body charged with advising the federal government on preventative health, the National Preventative Health Taskforce, is soon expected to deliver the findings of a draft report into the issue of minimum alcohol pricing. The concept has been condemned by the liquor industry, which claims the measure will unfairly effect older, poorer customers and do nothing to stop risky drinking. However, the author of the Canadian study, Tim Stockwell, said research indicates the measure…
Read MoreAACS Convenience Leaders Summit
The venue: The Sebel Heritage Yarra Valley, Heritage Avenue, Chirnside Park VIC 3116 Just a quick reminder that the AACS Convenience Leaders Summit will take place at the Sebel Heritage, Yarra Valley, Victoria on the 29th and 30th November. There will be a charity golf afternoon on the 28th November at the same venue with proceeds going to the Royal Children’s Hospital- a great opportunity to catch up with others in the industry. The cost of the Summit attendance [excluding the golf afternoon, but including all sessions and the main dinner on Thursday 29th November] will be $395 plus GST per person. If you have not yet booked and wish to do so please come back to me as accommodation is limited but we have reserved a number of rooms for our event which are now starting to fill. Attached is the agenda so that you can see the presenters…
Read MoreManitoba Seizes Nearly 2 Million Contraband Cigarettes
NACS Daily News The lucrative cigarette black market is contributing to the demise of small businesses in the province, including convenience stores. WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Manitoba has been a hotbed of illegal cigarettes, with close to 2 million being seized by law enforcement over the past eight months, CBC News reports. In February, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Manitoba Finance officials nabbed 1.45 million illegal smokes, with another half million seized last month. Court documents related to the arrest of two brothers involved in the smuggling points to First Nations in southern Ontario as being the source of the contraband cigarettes. Selling untaxed tobacco is illegal in Manitoba, as it is in the rest of Canada. The Western Convenience Store Association emphasized that illegal cigarettes contribute to the demise of small businesses such as convenience stores. Close to 2,500 small retailers have shut their doors in Quebec and…
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