August 15, 2012 The Age The federal government has secured a big win over big tobacco with the High Court ruling Labor’s world-first plain packaging laws are constitutionally valid. The decision is expected to have significant influence globally with both the United Kingdom and New Zealand considering plain packaging. Health experts have hailed the decision as a major victory for global health. It clears the way for the government to impose a ban on all brand marks and logos on cigarettes, to take effect from December this year. Large graphic health warnings will dominate the packs and the manufacturers’ brand names will be written in a small generic font. The High Court orders announced today do not include the reasons for its decision which will be published at a later day. But the orders means that at least a majority of the Court is of the opinion that the plain…

Russell Emmerson August 14, 2012 National Features THE franchise system that reportedly helped feed teenage solo sailor Jessica Watson in her global adventure has fallen into deep water. Queensland-based Easy Meals was placed in administration last week but McGrath Nicol partner Jamie Harris said he was still investigating reasons leading to the collapse. “I am currently undertaking an urgent appraisal of the company’s activities to understand the best course of action to preserve the company’s assets,” he said. That investigation is likely to include the question of whether the company should continue to operate as a franchise system or whether its collapse was based on an unsuccessful product – packaged meals requiring minimal reheating. The company is understood to have 56 franchisees operating 100 shopfronts across every state and territory. It is also believed to have more than 25 employees – although Mr Harris said he is still investigating whether…

Criterion August 14, 2012 The Australian TURNING wheat into bread continues to prove a low-yield exercise for the hapless Goodman Fielder, but converting dough into pizzas is proving a far more lucrative proposition for the can-do-no-wrong Domino’s. Both operators have to be wary of soft commodity prices – especially for wheat – given the prospect of a disastrous drought-afflicted US harvest. Goodman Fielder (GFF, 50.5 cents) is taking a Churchill-esque approach to its turnaround task, offering more blood, sweat and tears as it chips away at its $100 million cost-cutting program. “We expect to see very challenged market conditions continue,” CEO Chris Delaney says. “Consumer confidence will remain subdued.” Beyond that, investors will have to wait for September 3 strategy day for the real outlook striptease. The custodian of brand such as Wonder White, Vogel’s and Helga’s, Goodman unveiled a $96.6 million normalised net profit, 28 per cent lower, with…

AAP August 14, 2012 DOMINO’S Pizza has posted a 26 per cent rise in full-year profit on stronger sales and rising store numbers. Its net profit of $26.9 million for the year to June 30 was up from $21.4 million in the previous year. Total sales were $805.3 million in the year to June, up eight per cent from the previous year. Domino’s added 62 stores in the year to June to 908. Same store sales, which takes out the impact of new stores on sales, grew by 6.5 per cent in the year to June. Chief executive Don Meij on Tuesday said new products and expansion into social media and online ordering contributed to the company’s profit growth. He forecast profit growth of about 15 per cent in the 2012/13 financial year, and said another 70 to 80 new stores would be opened. Online sales were expected to make…

August 14, 2012 The Age Food company Goodman Fielder has posted another full-year loss and says challenging trading conditions in the baking and spreads sector will continue. Goodman Fielder on Tuesday posted a net loss of $146.9 million for the year to June 30, but it’s a 12 per cent improvement on the previous year’s $166.7 million loss. The result was hurt by $267.2 million in pre-tax charges related to a major company restructure, plus write-downs on its Australian and New Zealand baking business and NZ home ingredients arm. Normalised profit, which takes out one-off financial items, was $96.5 million in the year to June, down 29 per cent on $135.2 million in the previous year. Goodman Fielder makes bread, spreads and supplies edible fats and oils to other manufacturers. Its brands include White Wings and Meadow Lea. The company’s restructure involved 600 redundancies and bakery closures. Chief executive Chris…

NACS Daily News August 13 2012 HERTFORDSHIRE, England – Tesco wants to make sure busy travelers don’t come home to an empty fridge. Last week at Gatwick Airport, Tesco revealed the U.K.’s first interactive virtual grocery store in airport’s North Terminal. The Gatwick opening builds on Tesco’s launch of the world’s first virtual store in South Korea last year, an innovation that generated 25 million online posts around the globe. The Korean virtual store allowed commuters to shop in subways and at bus stops by pointing their mobile phones at billboards. Tesco is now testing the concept for the first time in the U.K., but this time using interactive digital displays. The Gatwick virtual store allows passengers passing through the North Terminal to combine browsing, as they would in a physical store, with the convenience of an online grocery shop and home delivery. Customers can view a range of everyday…