Gareth Hutchens September 10, 2012 The Age AUSTRALIA Post has signed up Westpac to its new digital mail service as the race continues among parcel delivery operators to grab an early share of a potentially lucrative new market. Westpac joins Telstra and AMP as partners in the Australia Post Digital MailBox initiative, which allows customers to access all their confidential letters and bills, and to make transactions, through a single online source. The move is part of efforts by Australia Post to generate new digital revenue streams as its traditional mail business comes under pressure from electronic media. The Australia Post partnership is in direct competition with Digital Post Australia, a joint venture of Computershare (40 per cent), Salmat (40 per cent) and a US digital mail technology start-up, Zumbox, which launched in March this year. In June, Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour told a Senate committee that the company’s…

AAP September 04, 2012 A SMOKING ban in all closed public spaces, including coffee shops, restaurants and bars, has gone into force in Lebanon under new legislation that promises hefty fines for offenders. Endorsed by Lebanon’s parliament last year, the law also bans tobacco advertisements, which have been criticised for luring young people into smoking. Smokers caught lighting up in a closed public space face a $US90 ($A88) penalty, while restaurant or cafe owners who turn a blind eye to offenders could be fined anything from $US900 to $US2700. The number of smokers in Lebanon is among the highest in the region and cancer-related illnesses directly linked to tobacco are rising at a rapid rate, health professionals say. Still, there is speculation as to how far the new ban can actually hold in a country where cigarette, cigar and nargileh (water-pipe) smoking is so popular and widespread. Some 46 per…

Wayne Flower September 04, 2012 Herald Sun POLICE Commissioner Ken Lay will meet with petrol industry bosses within a week to intensify the force’s push for prepaid petrol. Mr Lay has long wanted people to pay before they pump fuel to eradicate petrol drive-offs and number plate theft. The offences consume thousands of hours of police time each year. In Victoria there were 5932 petrol drive-offs last year, an increase of 16.5 per cent on the previous year. Mr Lay said the community should not need to underwrite criminal activity at the petrol pump. “We estimate 15,000 offences a year occur from petrol drive-offs. There is one very simple solution and that is prepaid petrol,” Mr Lay said. The commissioner will meet with industry stakeholders this week to encourage them to take more responsibility for the problem. “We’re pushing this and pushing this hard, and if the community is going…

Blair Speedy September 04, 2012 The Australian RETAILERS are hopeful of improved trading conditions in the lead-up to Christmas after experiencing a disappointing sales performance in July as the industry failed to benefit from household assistance payments. Sales at department stores fell by 10.2 per cent in July compared to June, their biggest monthly fall since 2005 and a sharp reversal from the 3.7 per cent gain seen in June, which had kindled a brief spark of hope that the sector may finally be turning around. The figures dragged overall retail sales 0.8 per cent lower for July, their worst monthly result in more than two years. They came yesterday as further signs of a slowing economy emerged, with figures showing company profits fell for the past three quarters. Ten of the 15 industries in the Australian Bureau of Statistics business indicators surveyed showed falls in profits, including mining, manufacturing…

September 4, 2012 The Age Boutique grocers flourish as shoppers look past the ”big two”, writes Jane Holroyd. KATIE Falkiner, a North Melbourne resident and lover of good food, is dreaming up her perfect neighbourhood grocery shop. The City Grocer, when and if it is realised, will be stocked full of quality, local produce. Fruit and vegetables will be seasonal – not necessarily organic but as fresh and local as possible. Customers will know where it’s been grown. There will be artisan dairy and bread offerings, and meat from specialist producers such as Warialda beef. The staff will be attentive and knowledgable. The aisles will be generously proportioned and tactics to entice impulse buying will be kept to a minimum. There will be a noticeboard for feedback and the shop will open late into the night. Falkiner and her business partners, three long-time friends, are so confident the City Grocer…

August 28, 2012 The Age Tony Featherstone is a specialist writer on small companies and entrepreneurs Hygiene standards need to be improved at many food outlets. I recently had dinner at a fast food restaurant during a busy day of university lecturing. The mezzanine seating area above the kitchen had a dozen tables and none were cleared of rubbish. Dirty plates, leftover food and old wrappings were an awful look for an emerging food chain. A nearby customer complained about the filth and blew up when a waitress brought her meal, did not clear the rubbish, and left empty-handed. Normally that would be enough for me to leave and never return, but I was in a hurry and it was too cold to eat outside. This terrible experience made me wonder how many other food businesses have appalling hygiene standards, despite state governments naming and shaming offenders. It’s remarkable what…