Research published today by market research organisation, IBISWorld, predicts that Australians will spend A$25.4 Billion on alcoholic beverages in 2011-12. According to the research, Australians are increasingly choosing premium alcoholic drinks over traditional beers. The report predicts that alcohol spending in Australia will increase by 15.3% over the next five years, reaching A$29.3 Billion in 2016/17. IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie said that while Australia’s alcohol consumption... ...Read more »

Newly appointed CEO of Australian retail giant Woolworths Limited, Grant O’ Brien, has unveiled a multi-pronged strategy to expand the company’s operations in Australia. In a series of media statements, the company announced plans to create 10,000 new retail jobs before the current financial year ends, as well as a five-year plan to double sales of Woolworths supermarkets’ own brand products. According to the statements, Woolworths plans to open 39 new supermarkets, seven new BIG Ws and 15... ...Read more »

A US entrepreneur has unveiled a supermarket checkout and stock management system that he claims would eliminate the need for barcodes. Ran Margalit, the creator of ShelfX, says his system will end “cumbersome lines at checkout counters” at grocery stores. The ShelfX system uses radio frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC) technology. Launching the system today, Mr Margalit said that a ShelfX ‘Smart Shelf’, equipped with highly-sensitive scales, knows the exact... ...Read more »

Despite two-thirds (67 per cent) of Australian consumers saying they believe it is important for grocery products to be sourced locally, only 33 per cent claim to buy local food and drinks regularly, according to a survey undertaken by global consumer research group Datamonitor. Datamonitor surveyed Australian consumers during May and June 2011. The findings, published today, suggest a “clear disparity” between the number of consumers who attach importance to local products, and those who actually... ...Read more »

A research report published this week by PayPal, Forrester Research, Nielsen and the Australian Centre for Retail Studies has claimed that retail in Australia is undergoing “monumental change”. PayPal’s report, titled “Secure Insight: Changing the Way we Pay”, said online shopping will grow by 12.2 per cent throughout 2012 in Australia. The report forecasts Australians will spend A$37.7 Billion shopping online by 2013, an increase of over a billion dollars since October 2010. The report... ...Read more »

The giant Australian manufacturer Goodman Fielder today announced plans to merge its three retail-focused businesses in New Zealand. In August 2011, Goodman Fielder announced that it was reviewing its baking, dairy and home ingredients businesses in New Zealand following a shock 17.3% profit drop in 2010/11. In a statement released today, the company said it had concluded that the integration of the three businesses will improve interaction with its key customers, suppliers and other stakeholders... ...Read more »

Australia’s peak dairy farming body, Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), has told a Senate Committee inquiry that Australian dairy farmers are being pushed out of business by supermarkets retailing milk at “unsustainable” prices. The ADF was addressing the Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into the impacts of supermarket price decisions on the dairy industry. The inquiry met the ADF representatives on Thursday 6 October 2011. ADF President Chris Griffin said that in the last eight months,... ...Read more »

Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE, today warned that many ready-to-eat desserts with low-fat claims such as ‘fat free’, ‘reduced fat’ and ’97 per cent fat free’ are not always as healthy as their labels suggest. CHOICE reviewed 31 low-fat desserts found in the fridge and freezer section of Australian supermarkets. According to CHOICE, the review has proven that many so-called ‘low-fat’ products contain high sugar and sodium levels. CHOICE spokesperson, Ingrid Just said, “Low-fat... ...Read more »

Despite recently presenting a united voice for advocacy of a supermarket ombudsman in Australia, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE have disagreed publicly on food labelling. The AFGC has accused CHOICE of publishing recipes on its website that fall short of health standards espoused by the Traffic Light Labelling system, which CHOICE has championed. According to the AFGC, a number of recipes on CHOICE’s website are ‘unhealthy’ when... ...Read more »

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused some of Australia’s best-known chicken brands of making misleading promotional claims for sell their chicken products. The ACCC has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd and Bartter Enterprises Pty Ltd which supply chickens nationally under the Steggles brand, as well as Turi Foods, which supplies La Ionica brand meat chickens in New South Wales and Victoria, and the Australian Chicken Meat... ...Read more »