A new report has shown that Australians are shifting towards electric vehicles and that the market share of internal combustion engines (ICE) is continuing to decline. This is according to the quarterly update of the AAA’s EV Index, which found that battery electric vehicle (BEV) and hybrid new vehicle sales continue to grow. Both segments recorded record market share in the three months to 31 March. The AAA EV Index online data dashboard, produced by the Australian Automobile Association, analyses all new light vehicle sales across the country. In national new light vehicle sales from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024: Sales figures over the five quarters confirm a clear trend of growth for BEVs and hybrids and a gradually shrinking market share for ICEs. But there have also been significant quarterly fluctuations in the past 15 months. Over that period, BEV market share rose from 6.77 per cent to 8.70…

Cleanaway and Viva Energy today announced they have entered into an agreement to undertake a pre-feasibility assessment of a circular solution for soft plastics and other hard-to-recycle plastics currently sent to landfill and transform them back into feedstock for food-grade plastic resin. The partners want to provide a sustainable soft-plastics solution for food manufacturers and packaging specialists seeking to cater to the growing environmentally conscious market, as well as households and businesses who want a landfill-diversion option. The facility being assessed would incorporate a dedicated sorting and mechanical pre-treatment plant and an advanced chemical recycling plant to convert waste plastic into plastic pyrolysis oil (PPO), a feedstock for co-processing at Viva Energy’s Geelong Refinery. Recycled plastic manufactured through this process would have identical properties to virgin resin, opening the potential for food manufacturers to use recycled packaging. The project could provide an important solution for food manufacturers and packaging specialists…

Brick and mortar retail is not going away, but digital is the future. Can the two co-exist? Absolutely. According to Pew Research Center, nearly all Americans have a cellphone of some kind (97%) and most have a smartphone (90%). And they’re spending an average of 4.5 hours on these devices each day. There is a pretty good chance one of these folks is your customer and using their device on the path to purchase. “The convenience industry needs to embrace the opportunity to become a phygital space,” said NACS Vice Chairman of Research and Technology Charlie McIlvaine this week at the NACS State of the Industry Summit. McIlvaine, who is the chairman and CEO of Coen Markets Inc., added that customers are looking for shopping experiences that are enhanced by digital aspects, which is where technology comes into the picture. Forbes recently wrote that today’s customers “crave the convenience of digital solutions…

One of EG Group’s founders plans to leave the convenience retailer after more than 20 years of business, according to a report from Bloomberg News. Zuber Issa, co-founder and co-CEO of EG Group, revealed his forthcoming resignation in a bond prospectus seen by Bloomberg. According to that notice, the executive will leave his older brother and co-CEO, Mohsin Issa, who he founded EG Group with, in full control of the company. Additionally, the bond prospectus noted that Salim Hasan, chief operating officer for EG Group, also plans to leave the company. A spokesperson from EG Group declined to comment. According to Bloomberg’s report, Zuber Issa and Hasan will only depart from the company once Issa “completes his own deal to buy a number of sites from EG Group.” According to the Financial Times, those assets are located in the U.K. and Ireland, and a deal may occur “in the near term.” Bloomberg’s report…

Shell turned heads across the convenience store industry last month when it revealed that it plans to sell 1,000 company-owned retail sites around the globe by 2026. The convenience retailer and oil giant didn’t outline many details of this strategy, like why it’s looking to sell these sites or where they’re located. Shell shared the plan in its 2024 Energy Transition Strategy report. Shell only noted in that report that these moves will be connected to its multi-billion-dollar program to upgrade its retail network with low-carbon energy solutions, including a heavy focus on electric vehicle charging stations. However, it turns out that Shell had already quietly announced these plans — and the reasoning behind them — during its Capital Markets Day last summer. During that meeting, multiple executives from Shell said that these planned divestitures underscore the company’s broader goal to to reduce its capital expenditures from about $6 billion as of last…

Nikkei Asia reported that Seven & i Holdings will focus on strengthening its convenience store business through mergers and acquisitions in North America while also pursuing an initial public offering of its struggling supermarket business. Reuters reported: “Under pressure from activist investors, Seven & i has been selling off underperforming retail assets and doubling down on its global convenience store business centered around its flagship 7-Eleven brand.” Seven & I Holdings announced that “we will create a globally integrated [convenience store] management structure, including Japan and North America, with a unified leadership.” The moves will allow the company to develop “more aggressive” investment plans for the global convenience store business. According to Nikkei Asia: “The action plan reflected the committee’s recommendations, including improving profitability of the convenience store business in North America. The company expects the region to be a ‘key driver’ for growth and is considering accelerating the pace of acquisitions.” The action…