Baking supplies manufacturer Allied Pinnacle has held a ceremonial cherry blossom planting and ribbon cutting with parent company Nisshin Seifun Group at its Ravenhall Distribution Centre in Victoria, ahead of the site’s official opening next month. According to a statement from the company, the event on Friday celebrates the new facility’s opening – which will represent its largest footprint nationwide – as “a key milestone in Allied Pinnacle’s commitment to growth and innovation”. It is set to play “a key role in distributing flour and bakery goods” and service Australian states including Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. “This facility not only strengthens our ability to serve customers across multiple states but also reinforces our commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality products. We’re proud to contribute to the local economy and look forward to creating more opportunities for growth in the region,” said Allied CEO David Pitt. The facility includes a test…

Mr Whippy and Darrell Lea, two iconic Australian brands, have partnered to launch a new chocolate – Mr Whippy 100’s & 1000’s Marshmallows. Paul Ayoub, General Manager at Mr Whippy, said the two brands joined forces to bring fun and excitement back into the chocolate category, reigniting childhood memories. “Together we looked at what brings excitement and joy and landed on the old-time favourites of marshmallows and 100’s & 1000’s. This combined with quality Darrell Lea Milk chocolate formed a perfect partnership.” Ayoub explained that at Mr Whippy they are always looking towards the long term with its partnerships. “We see this product exceeding all expectations and driving incremental sales into the convenience network. The two companies will be closely evaluating the performance to decide how far and wide it will go.” Looking at partnerships, Ayoub said that this coming together with Darrell Lea is a true example of a…

A range of single use plastic products will be banned from today in one of the most significant phases of the Malinauskas Government’s efforts to reduce plastic waste in our natural environment, waterways and beaches. From today, the following items are banned.

Today there are more brands and products than ever competing for a place in our shopping baskets—organic or non-organic; local or imported; new categories; private label, premium, and name brands. There are also more ways to shop, including online, in store, or various combinations. All of this choice comes at the cost of time, money, and energy. In the average month, you might shop at a half dozen different places for groceries and everyday essentials, like personal and household goods. That’s different store locations, layouts, mobile apps, products, promotions, delivery promises, loyalty programs, and subscriptions, just to fill the fridge and pantry. At Amazon, we’re working to change that. We believe we can make customers’ lives easier every day by offering all the selection they want while making grocery shopping simpler, faster, and more affordable—and even more so for customers who have all of the savings, convenience, and entertainment in a single membership with Prime.…

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent of the Circle K convenience-store chain, has raised its offer to acquire Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd., the parent of the 7-Eleven and Speedway c-store chains, from $14.86 per share or approximately $39 billion, to $18.19 per share or approximately $47.2 billion, about 21%, according to a Bloomberg report. In a “notice regarding media reports” dated Oct. 9, Seven & i President Ryuichi Isaka confirmed the offer, saying that the company has “received a revised confidential, private and non-binding proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. As requested by ACT, the company has maintained, and intends to continue to maintain, the confidentiality of its current discussions with ACT at this time. The company will continue to act in the best interest of its shareholders and other stakeholders of the company.” Couche-Tard on Aug. 19 submitted a “friendly,” nonbinding proposal to Seven & i, parent of the 7-Eleven and Speedway c-store…

Commentary by George Lekakis, Senior Banking and Financial Services Correspondent “Given the RBA’s present priority on curbing retail inflation, an emerging question is whether Governor Michele Bullock will be looking to recast the battle over merchant fees as a macroeconomic concern.” Australia’s major banks are prone to boasting about how their investments in new service channels have contributed to a more productive banking system and associated service improvements for business customers. In the payments market, the banks point to their roll outs of digital innovations such as contactless debit and digital wallets as evidence of efficiency gains and service enhancements. However, a case can be advanced that the pricing strategies of the banks in the payments market have actually undermined efficiency in the Australian economy by helping to magnify one of its biggest recent challenges – inflation. While it is true that bank-led innovations widened payment choices for retailers and…