February
Mystery ATO tangle in Solomon Lew’s web
The billionaire rag trader’s network of associated entities stretches into complexity.
January
Myer plans loyalty card relaunch to capture Just Jeans, Dotti shoppers
The retailer will have 783 outlets and annual sales of $4 billion after shareholders approved plans to buy a portfolio of brands from Premier Investments.
Six decades on, Solomon Lew sets Myer a $5b goal
The retail veteran is banking on big things from a department store icon that has been part of his life for 61 years.
Myer’s future written years ago, not in a Kroll report
Forget about independent expert Kroll’s thoughts on Australia’s retail market. Myer’s hard work is about to begin.
Why Myer’s big deal with Premier is not a get-out-of-jail-free card
Big is one thing, better is another entirely. What is Myer buying in Premier Investments’ apparel brands?
December 2024
Myer says Black Friday sales were ‘encouraging’ despite tough trading
The retailer’s executive chairwoman Olivia Wirth used her first annual meeting in the job to sell plans for a merger with Premier Investments’ fashion brands.
November 2024
Premier claims sacked Smiggle boss ‘interfered’ in HR investigation
The disclosure was issued to proxy advisers, and is the first time that Solomon Lew’s retail empire has made a specific allegation against its former executive.
Sacked Smiggle executive John Cheston faces loss of $4m in shares
The board of Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments has unanimously recommended shareholders strip him of stock handed over as part of executive incentives.
Chanticleer’s 10 legends of marvellous Melbourne
Melbourne has always been Chanticleer’s spiritual home. As part of the column’s 50-year celebrations, we name 10 big characters from the past five decades.
October 2024
Myer buys big brands from Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments
The department store will end up with control of Just Jeans, Dotti, Jay Jays and Portmans in a deal that gives the billionaire a massive stake in a larger company.
Myer buys Lew’s brands; Trump in damage control; Vanguard eyes super
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
This is the number that drove Myer to cut a deal with Solomon Lew
For years, the retailer has been slowly fading away under a small-target strategy. Olivia Wirth and Lew want to put growth back on the agenda.
Myer board meets to ink $1b merger with Lew’s Premier apparel business
The deal – technically an acquisition by the department store giant – should hand the billionaire retailer a 30 per cent stake in Myer.
Legendary One.Tel stockbroker throws donor lunch for Peter Dutton
Broker doyen Brent Potts flung open his office for a pricey fundraiser for the opposition leader.
Olivia Wirth poaches from Qantas in Myer executive revamp
The department store’s executive chairwoman tells staff the changes will allow it to grow after years of declining revenue and profit.
Solomon Lew reveals why he is still obsessed with Myer
The 79-year-old retail billionaire has fought a lot of corporate battles over the years, but he remains fixated on the department store chain.
September 2024
Lew’s ‘toughest year in 61 years’ a chance to really shake things up
Few chairmen are pulling strategic levers like Australia’s shrewdest retailer. Where is it all headed?
Myer investors grow impatient over new strategy as growth stalls
The mid-market department store was expected to outline its growth plans next month. That has been delayed as it considers buying up well-known fashion brands.
Wirth’s rescue plan for Myer is missing one big thing: growth
For much of the last decade, Myer’s strategy has been to accept its diminished place in the market and shrink itself in response. Olivia Wirth’s plan is very different.
Can Olivia Wirth right the three-decade drift at Myer?
The former Qantas executive has inherited the start of a turnaround at retail’s grand dame. But there is plenty more to do, starting with finding profit growth.