Gary Mortimer  Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology  September 16, 2019 Louise Grimmer !”  Louise Grimmer is a Friend of The Conversation.  Lecturer in Retail Marketing, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania  Disclosure statement Gary Mortimer has conducted and published research in the pharmacy and supermarkets sectors, and for the National Retail Association. Before his academic appointment, he was employed for more than 25 years in the retail sector. His consumer behaviour research spans retail channels including supermarkets, pharmacy and off-price retailers. Louise Grimmer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. On the way home, you wander into the supermarket for a loaf of bread. But before you reach the bread aisle, you drop in your prescription at…

MATTHEW ELMAS Thursday, October 3, 2019 SmartCompany Melbourne cafe and catering business EARL Canteen has inked a deal with Coles that’s seen it open a concession store in the supermarket giant’s new “groceraunt” concept. Unveiled yesterday, Coles is looking beyond its garden in a bid to reimagine its convenience strategy, opting for a partnership model that will see EARL and national chain Sushi Sushi serve customers within its Tooronga Village store in Victoria. Coles is an unlikely champion for the ailing department store model, but while consumers turn away from in-store fashion, experience is all the rage in Australia’s increasingly competitive food and beverage space. For EARL Canteen, which has built out a network of eight stores in Melbourne since launching in 2010, the partnership is an opportunity to branch out and attract new customers. EARL co-founder Simon O’Regan tells SmartCompany the opportunity came “out of the blue” with Coles…

Is your business ready for the Victorian bag ban? Local businesses are being urged to prepare ahead of the state-wide ban on lightweight plastic shopping bags. The ban will include compostable, degradable and biodegradable plastics and is due to commence from 1 November 2019. This new law will apply to all retailers and suppliers regardless of size or type—from supermarkets to fashion boutiques, from fast food outlets to petrol stations. Until recently, Victorians have used over 1 billion plastic shopping bags every year. The majority of these bags end up in landfill and around 10 million end up as litter, polluting the environment and endangering wildlife. The Victorian Government has engaged the National Retailers Association (NRA) to work with Victorian businesses in preparing for the ban. The NRA has set up a toll-free Bag Ban Hotline (1800 817 723) to provide business with support in transitioning away from single use…

Jill Goldsmith October 3, 2019 New York Post Alison Cooper, the CEO of UK tobacco group Imperial Brands, will step down as boss once her replacement is found, the company announced Thursday. Cooper, 53, a 20-year Imperial veteran who spent nine years as CEO, will also leave the board of directors. In a statement, chairman Mark Williamson praised Cooper for simplifying and reshaping the business to focus on Imperial’s strongest brands and markets, enhancing the company’s presence in the US market and developing next-generation products. Imperial, the world’s fourth-largest tobacco outfit by market share, has been squeezed by a global backlash and heightened regulation against e-cigarettes. The company, which owns the Blu e-cigarette brand, warned last month that sales and profits would be squeezed this year because of the crackdown — becoming the first global tobacco group to lay out the financial impact of the worldwide vaping alarm. The company…

10/03/2019 Progressive Grocer Schnucks is the latest grocer to stop selling tobacco products in its stores St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets Inc. will no longer sell any tobacco products in its grocery stores, effective Jan. 1, 2020. The new policy includes cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, chewing tobacco and snuff, as well as e-cigarettes and vaping products, which the retailer already doesn’t sell. Schnucks will sell through its existing inventory through the end of the year. Starting Oct. 15 and continuing indefinitely, Schnucks will offer double Schnucks Rewards points on all over-the counter smoking cessation products, an effort by the retailers to support smokers who want to quit tobacco. “Tobacco products are certainly a profitable part of our business, but our company’s mission is to nourish people’s lives,” said Schnucks Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck. “Tobacco products directly contradict our core mission, and that means that they simply don’t belong in our stores.…

Quartz With over 1,000 cases and 18 deaths attributed to a mysterious vaping-related pulmonary illness (VAPI) in the United States, a growing number of teens have been going to the family doctor with concerns about their e-cigarette vaping habits.  The young patients are worried about developing VAPI themselves, or they’re feeling anxious about their dependence on nicotine. With more than a quarter of US teenagers having vaped in the last 30 days, the number of apprehensive visits to the pediatrician are only likely to increase—especially if the number of VAPI cases continues to grow and the Trump administration makes good on its plan to ban flavored e-cigarettes. The trouble is, there are currently no US guidelines—from federal organizations or medical groups—on how doctors should help young patients who want to quit vaping. The American Academy of Pediatrics is currently working with doctors to develop guidelines for national distribution. But for…