Consumer group CHOICE has announced today the short list of nominees for the inaugural CHOICE Awards which are being held in Sydney on March 15 2010.The awards, which highlight the very best in goods and services, are for six categories including Best Retailer, Best Baby Brand, Best Technology Innovator, Best Food Endorsement Program and Best Low-Fee Bank Account. The organisations short listed in each category have been selected from hundreds of product tests and research projects undertaken by... ...Read more »
In New York on Friday (19 February) Deloitte released the results of a benchmarking study designed to quantify store operations and general and administrative (SGA) cost-improvement opportunities in retail. The study goes well beyond an analysis of back-office functions to cover retail-specific functions such as store operations, merchandising, supply chain and marketing across 120 different performance metrics. “In a retail market characterized by diminished consumer spending, cost-management... ...Read more »
Bakers Delight has been recognised in the Oracle World Retail Awards 2010, taking out finalist honours for in-store merchandising designed and executed by sales acceleration agency, MediaTag. The Oracle World Retail Awards recognise outstanding innovation and creativity delivered by retailers across the globe. Established in 2007, these Awards help set benchmarks of excellence in key areas that are important in modern retailing. Voted one of the leading global retailers in the ‘retail advertising’... ...Read more »
Woolworths supermarkets yesterday posted the price of more than 5,000 packaged grocery products oline, with the launch of their Woolworths Price Check website. The company has commenced listing product prices online following calls from consumer advocate groups for the major supermarkets to deliver greater price transparency to customers. According to some commentators however, the website leaves a lot to be desired. Associate Professor Frank Zumbo, Competition and Consumer Law Expert at the... ...Read more »
Wal-Mart has launched the index it uses to measure the “sustainability” of its suppliers in Canada.The retail giant’s local arm announced the move yesterday (10 February) among a series of initiatives it believes will make its business - and those of its suppliers - more sustainable. Wal-Mart’s index was first unveiled in the US last year and David Cheesewright, president and CEO of the retailer’s Canadian business, insisted the scheme would give its supply chain more... ...Read more »
The latest ABS retail trade figures show that sales in December fell 0.7%, seasonally adjusted, although restaurant and takeaway outlets were big winners. Sales declined in every category except Cafés, Restaurants & Takeaway Food Services - where sales surged 2.5%, continuing on recent positive sales trends for the sector. Restaurants and cafés had a difficult end to 2008 and start to 2009 but an economic resurgence has helped many return to more prosperous times. High levels of consumer confidence... ...Read more »
Australia’s two largest supermarket operators, Woolworths and Wesfarmers, have been listed in the world’s top 30 retail companies, according to the Deloitte Global Powers of Retailing 2010 report. The report, which identifies the 250 largest retailers by revenue for the fiscal year 2008 (encompasses fiscal years ended through June 2009), lists Woolworths in 26th position and Wesfarmers in 28th position. The two ASX-listed giants get the bulk of their revenue from supermarkets although... ...Read more »
Retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said that after a year of patchy growth, retailers were optimistic of a ‘fair’ 2009 Christmas period with an expected year-on-year growth of 4.7 per cent, totalling $38.7 billion moving through the economy via retail sales. The largest spend is once again expected to be at food retailers, with forecasts for sales growth of 4.7% on last year despite low inflation. ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said the current retail... ...Read more »
The latest ABS retail trade figures show that sales in October rose 0.3%, seasonally adjusted, with Cafes, Restaurants & Takeaway Food Services (+1.1%) the second best performing sector. The news caps a reasonably good run for restaurants and takeaway outlets over the past few months as the economic recovery leads to more Australians going out for dinner. Food retailing, which includes supermarkets, bakers and fresh food stores, saw seasonally adjusted sales fall 0.1%, however. Low inflation... ...Read more »
The recession has raised concerns about commercial models, supply chains and finance that will reshape business behaviour well into the next decade, according to a British business organisation. Launching its report “The Shape of Business - The Next 10 Years”, the UK’s leading business organisation said that the recession and credit crunch had become the catalysts for a new era. The report flags four key areas of business where fresh approaches will develop because of the downturn: *... ...Read more »