Megan Doherty March 10 2016 The Canberra Times Supabarn shoppers say they will boycott Coles when the chain takes over three Supabarn stores in the national capital, with some speculation it could move in as early as June. Shoppers were angry and devastated on Thursday by news the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had cleared the way for Coles to buy the Supabarn stores at Wanniassa, Canberra Centre and Kaleen in the ACT and Five Dock and Sutherland in NSW. The Crace, Kingston and Casey Supabarns will not not be sold. Coles has confirmed it is buying the five stores in NSW and the ACT and promising to spend $22 million upgrading them. It would not comment on speculation Coles might replace the Supabarn stores by June. Coles also said in a statement that “all existing Supabarn store employees will be given the opportunity to continue working in their store…

MARCH 11, 2016 AAP California to raise smoking age to 21 California’s legislature has voted to raise the legal age for purchasing and using tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. It puts the nation’s most populous state on the brink of becoming only the second after Hawaii to bar teenagers from lighting up, dipping or vaping. Before it can become law, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown must sign the legislation, which has already passed the state assembly. His spokesman said the governor generally does not comment on pending legislation. Only Hawaii has adopted the higher age limit statewide, although dozens of cities, including New York and San Francisco, have passed similar laws of their own. “We can prevent countless California youth from becoming addicted to this deadly drug, save billions of dollars in direct health care costs and, most importantly, save lives,” said Democratic Senator Ed Hernandez, who wrote the…

MARCH 14, 2016 AAP Tobacco off Saudi shelves amid speculation Cigarettes have disappeared from the shelves in some Saudi cities amid speculation on social media that the government is about to raise prices on tobacco and other products that are harmful to health. Three Riyadh shops visited by Reuters on Sunday said they had no cigarettes for sale and social media users reported the same in Jeddah on Saturday and Sunday. Some suggested retailers were holding back stock until the government announced higher cigarette prices. In Dammam, the capital of Eastern Province, at least one shop was already selling packets of Philip Morris-branded cigarettes for 15 riyals ($A5.40) instead of the 10 riyals previously charged, a smoker there said. The Finance Ministry said in the country’s 2016 budget statement in December that it would apply “additional fees on harmful goods such as tobacco, soft drinks and the like”, but gave…

Henry Ergas MARCH 14, 2016 THE AUSTRALIAN It’s rare that we’re on the same side as Chris Bowen. But he’s right: section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act should remain unchanged. That section, which prohibits the abuse of market power, may seem arcane. And it is hardly obvious that its future ought to be a priority. But unlike previous reviews of our competition laws, which largely endorsed the current section, the Harper review recommended far-reaching amendments, claiming that section 46 is both ineffective and out of line with international practice. Since the review was released there has been a flurry of activity, with supporters of the Harper recommendations contending that consumers need to be protected from cheap milk and discounted petrol. And as the dust mounts, so does the pressure for motion. An initial decision could be taken this week by cabinet. Were the Harper review’s claims correct, that…