This article first appeared in its original format on Roads & Infrastructure and has been reproduced with permission. It has been updated to include the latest information. One of the biggest challenges to the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) is the lack of charging infrastructure across Australia. While state governments and private enterprises are working to rectify this issue, the scarcity of charging infrastructure co-located with places for people to rest remains an ongoing concern. There are a range of opportunities for the right businesses to integrate charging infrastructure with food, beverage, and rest facilities. An ideal location for these would be the enormous number of petrol stations dotted around the country. Many already have food and beverage facilities for customers and their expansion to incorporate rest facilities could revolutionise the uptake of electric vehicles across Australia. Viva Energy is working to shift the thinking around EV charging. It has entered into…

More than 2700 kilograms of illicit tobacco was seized from a property in Pentland Hills last week. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO), with the support of the Australian Border Force led Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF) and Victoria Police’s VIPER Taskforce, seized and destroyed the tobacco after officers visited the Penland Hills property as part of Operation Bonnybridge. The officers located four acres of illicit tobacco crops with an estimated excise value of $5.2 million. They also found and seized numerous electronic devices and CCTV footage and collected intelligence to assist with their inquiries. ATO assistant commissioner Jade Hawkins reiterated the importance of community tip-offs in the fight against illicit tobacco. “This successful outcome is the result of a tip-off to the ATO,” she said. Not only were we able to bring this criminal operation to a halt but we were also able to disrupt distribution to the retail sector and…

Convenience stores saw record sales in stores in 2023, according to newly released data from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). Total convenience industry sales in 2023 were $859.8 billion, of which $327.6 were from in-store sales. The average basket—what customers spent per visit—increased 3.7% to $7.80. Overall, total industry foodservice sales—which includes prepared food; commissary; and hot, cold and frozen dispensed beverages—represented 26.9% of in-store sales, up 1.3 percentage points in 2023 from the year prior. Profits from foodservice were even more impressive: 37.3% of total in-store profits. Four of the five categories that comprise foodservice made the top 10 in-store sales categories, led by prepared food, which grew 12.2% to $51,500 per store per month, making it the No. 1 category for in-store sales. Other foodservice categories in the top 10 were hot dispensed beverages, cold dispensed beverages and commissary items. Convenience stores, which sell an estimated 80%…

The first self-serve table­top bubble-tea machine has launched for conveni­ence stores, with each cup sold generating nearly £5 in profit. Blue Ice Machines be­gan promoting the Bub­ble Bliss machines last month, showcasing the equipment to retailers at the Booker trade show and online. The machine offers three flavours of the pop­ular soft drink, weighs 41kg, and is 60cm wide, 43cm deep and 71cm high. It costs £2,620 plus VAT. Alternatively, it is available through leasing for £98 a month, plus VAT. It includes a holder for cups and straws. A separate machine to seal the soft drinks is re­quired, measuring 34cm wide, 25cm deep and 64cm tall. Both require a standard electrical supply to operate. Available flavours in­clude mango, strawberry, peach, lychee, raspberry, watermelon and passion­fruit, with green apple, classic pearl and kiwi flavours to come. Custom­ers can also add sachets of tapioca balls to the drinks. Pricing The company recom­mends retailers charge…

Amazon is phasing out its Just Walk Out cashier-less technology at grocery stores, reported The Information. After an 18-month pause, the e-commerce giant is getting ready to open a new batch of Amazon grocery stores, albeit without the grab-and-go checkout system that relied on cameras and sensors capturing what consumers left with. Instead, it will introduce Dash Carts, which allow shoppers to scan their groceries as they move through the store, keeping a running tab of purchases. Tony Hoggett, Amazon’s senior vice president of grocery stores, told The Information that “Amazon will also revamp the majority of its existing Fresh locations into ‘version two’ stores … removing Just Walk Out where it’s already installed while sprucing up the stores across the board.” The Information noted that, according to Hoggett, Amazon has already overhauled a handful of its Fresh stores in California and Illinois into version two stores, which also feature brighter…

Victoria will finally set up a tobacco licensing scheme, more than two years after it was recommended, as part of a crackdown on the illegal tobacco trade that has sparked a spate of fire bombings. Premier Jacinta Allan told Raf Epstein on ABC Mornings that the government was working a new licensing scheme with legislation set to be introduced by the end of 2024. “We’re working through the different areas of government. This is one of those areas of government that covers a few different agencies. There’s health, there’s justice, there’s police, there’s a whole range of different areas that are intersecting,” Ms Allan said. There will be a period of consultation, the premier said. “There’s many of these small businesses who run a small business and we’ve got to make sure that we support them on this change because many of the shops that sell cigarettes, there’s many other…