Cara Waters 19 March 2014 SmartCompany Prime Minister Tony Abbott is announcing extensive red tape repeals today as part of the government’s promise to streamline business regulations. Abbott will promise to cut red tape for business and charities by more than $700 million and announce the scrapping of more than 9500 pieces of legislation. Small Business Minister Bruce Billson told SmartCompany this morning the cuts are mainly “largely redundant requirements that no longer have a place in our economy” and include some acts of Parliament that date back to Federation and deal with issues like when the states had their own navies. Billson says it’s “a great day for small business” and in amongst the cuts there are four big cuts which will impact on SMEs. 1. Paid parental leave payroll requirements The government is going to try again to remove the payroll function imposed on employers for the government’s…

Don Longo March 18, 2014 CSNews BENTONVILLE, Ark. — I must say I’m impressed. After many false starts, Walmart — the world’s largest retailer — finally appears to have gotten it right when it comes to operating a convenience store. Walmart to Go is the retailer’s newest attempt to crack into the c-store business. Located on a busy intersection near the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. corporate office in Bentonville, Walmart to Go, which we visited the day before its official grand opening, is sharp-looking, well-merchandised and looks like a real convenience store — not some kind of hybrid or smaller version of the retailer’s giant Walmart Supercenters. With a forecourt featuring six gasoline dispensers (with the company’s own gas priced competitively at $3.25 per gallon), Walmart to Go is a match regarding product mix and pricing for most modern convenience stores. The store even features a strong foodservice operation run by…

IBISWorld The market for convenient takeaway meals has become a battleground between small independent cafes and the fast-food heavyweights. Fierce competition between the cafes and fast-food services industries continues. Cafes are encroaching on the traditional territory of fast-food operators, offering a wider variety of ready-to-eat options for consumers on the go. The $15.3 billion fast-food services industry continues to dwarf the $4.2 billion cafes and coffee shops industry. Nevertheless, cafes are expected to expand by 3.7% over 2013-14 compared with 2.8% for fast-food operators. Fast-food operators have sought to steal ground from cafes in the coffee market by introducing cafe-style options. However, rising health consciousness is working against them, as consumers increasingly opt for cafes over fast-food restaurants. More consumers are living their lives on the run by trying to pack more into their already busy schedules. While such a trend would usually spell profit for fast-food vendors, Australia’s booming…

Nielsen 03.19.2014 Times are changing for Europe’s retail food market, and operators are consequently finding it increasingly difficult to boost their sales. Three agents of change have affected food retailing in Europe over the last 20 years. Europe’s markets initially swelled with rapid store expansion and the discount channel boomed. But the wind fell from the growth sails when consumer demand weakened following the economic crises of 2008. Recently, the effects of these factors have culminated to stifle growth. As a result, the only underlying increases in sales Europe has experienced since 2006 has come from price inflation. Headline consumer packaged goods (CPG) value sales growth across Europe(1) slowed again in 2013, dropping to 2.5 percent with volumes once again flat (-0.1%). As a result, how well the CPG industry, particularly in Western Europe(2), handles the next 12 months or more will hinge on how well companies learn to live…

Lucy Fisher 21 March 2014 Guardian Professional An innovative system allows retailers to send offers and information to customers based on their position in-store At a pilot scheme in a museum in the Netherlands, LED lights enable visitors to learn more about exhibits as they view themy. Photograph: Eugene Sergeev/Alamy Apple may be stealing the limelight once more with its iBeacons technology, but flying under the radar is a technology arguably no less interesting for retailers, and which was showcased by the technology company Philips last month at EuroShop in Düsseldorf – the retail trade fair for the increasingly complex world of store fit-out. In essence, it’s a smart LED system that can communicate with visitors’ smartphones, sending relevant offers and information. Philips claims that the system offers a high degree of accuracy, unlike some of the temperamental location-mapping offerings we have grown accustomed to. Menno Kleingeld, head of indoor…

Sue Mitchell March 21, 2014 The Age Metcash will reduce its dividend payout to fund almost $700 million of capital investment over the next five years as it embarks on a transformation plan aimed at securing the future of the grocery wholesaler and independent retailers in the face of increased competition from Coles and Woolworths. Releasing long-awaited details of the plan on Friday, chief executive Ian Morrice said the strategy would underpin long-term sustainable growth for Metcash and its customers by growing sales and improving efficiency. Investors wasted little time in dumping the stock in early trade, with the shares off a quick 12.6 per cent at $2.79 with more than 3.75 million shares done in the opening few minutes. Mr Morrice says Metcash can no longer rely on cost-cutting to boost margins and profits and plans to reignite sales growth in the food and grocery channel through six growth…