Melissa Kress September 5, 2014 Convenience Store News This March, The Tax Foundation released a report highlighting the illicit cigarette trade in the United States. Shortly after, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new Cigarette Strike Force — composed of state, local and federal agencies — to crack down on illegal tobacco trafficking and sales in the Empire State. A few months later, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) launched a special website called the “New Tobacco Road” to draw attention to cigarette smuggling and the issue’s seriousness for the tobacco industry and all its players, including convenience store retailers and wholesalers. While the black market trade of cigarettes is not a problem of the 21st century — it has been around for decades, in fact — the situation is getting more serious. “This isn’t a new problem. It has been around since the late ’70s when there were…

Dominic Rushe 2 September 2014 theguardian.com Workers from McDonald’s, Burger King and other chains to hold walkout protest on Thursday as battle to unionise escalates America’s fast food workers are planning their biggest strike to date this Thursday, with a nationwide walkout in protest at low wages and poor healthcare. The strike is the latest in a series of increasingly heated confrontations between fast food firms and their workers. Pressure is also mounting on McDonald’s, the largest fast food company, over its relations with its workers and franchisees. Workers from McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut and other large chains will strike on Thursday and are planning protests outside stores nationwide, in states including California, Missouri, Wisconsin and New York. The day of disruption is being coordinated by local coalitions and Fast Food Forward and Fight for 15, union-backed pressure groups which have called for the raising of the minimum wage…

3 September 2014 The Guardian Figures show 52% of visits made via a mobile, while 36% of UK online sales are now completed on a smartphone or tablet Visits to retail websites via mobile devices have overtaken desktop traffic for the first time, figures show. Some 52% of visits were made via a mobile, while 36% of UK online sales are now completed on a smartphone or tablet device – rising to 40% for clothing sellers, the latest IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking Report has revealed. Of sales completed on a mobile device, smartphones account for around 18% and tablets 82%. IMRG chief information officer Tina Spooner said: “With over half of all e-retail traffic now coming via smartphones and tablet devices, the latest results reveal a huge landmark in the growth of mobile commerce. “Considering that as recently as 2010 mobile visits to e-retail sites accounted for less than 3%…

ECONOMY AUSTRALIAN NEWS Big business is fighting back against a proposal that will see competition laws expanded to potentially make competitors partially responsible for the financial plight of their rivals, The Australian Financial Review reports. The proposal, being backed by competition regulators and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson, would result in an ‘effects test’ to ensure companies consider the impact of any business decision they make on the viability of their rivals. Among the parties opposed to such a move are Qantas Airways, Woolworths, Wesfarmers, Caltex and Foxtel, with the Business Council of Australia hitting back at the plan. “This sort of legislation causes uncertainty, inefficiency and discourages innovation,” Danny Gilbert, the BCA’s competition inquiry taskforce chair and Gilbert + Tobin managing director, told the AFR. The effects test is a possible recommendation to the stem from the current competition review being carried out by a team led by Ian…

Sue Mitchell September 2, 2014 The Age Supermarket chain Coles plans to cut between 500 and 600 jobs from its head office in Melbourne as part of a renewed efficiency drive aimed at freeing up funds to reinvest in reducing food and liquor prices. The job cuts are expected to be announced in Melbourne on Wednesday by new Coles managing director, John Durkan. Coles was not immediately available to comment on the job losses, which represent almost 20 per cent of the 3000-strong workforce at Coles’ Tooronga headquarters. However, Mr Durkan told investors last month that, faced with continued cost pressures, Coles needed to simplify and reduce its cost of doing business. “To enable further investment in value in fresh food, we will continue to drive productivity and efficiency through our business and we have significant opportunity to do so through simplifying our business,” he said. It is understood that…