This Month
Weak $A points to price rises for fridges, dishwashers: JB Hi-Fi
The electronics and consumer goods giant reported better-than-expected results, but the retail dynamic is getting more complicated.
January
City Chic shares surge as billionaire-backed retailer fights back
The apparel group confirmed it had a bumper Black Friday and Christmas sales period driven by its stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Cost-of-living crunch leaves shoppers buying ‘an item not an outfit’
Retailers are banking on interest rate cuts and election promises to boost consumer spending, but experts warn the benefits may take time to filter through.
December 2024
Mosaic Brands receivers close Katies chain, 480 jobs to go
KPMG said it would close all 80 stores run by the womenswear brand, and another 80 owned by the company. Mosaic had already closed 200 shops to avoid collapse.
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.
Retailers exhale as Black Friday stokes demand
From sneakers to Frank Green water bottles, shoppers opened their wallets for early Christmas deals.
November 2024
Black Friday temptation stands between shoppers and their savings
Retailers are looking forward to a bumper sales event this weekend, as canny consumers hold off spending in anticipation of bagging some bargains.
How Black Friday really works | Investing ideas from world’s biggest banks | CEO’s election fears
This week, the Chooks explain how Black Friday really works, reveal what business is thinking ahead of the federal election and look at the best investment ideas from the world’s biggest investment banks.
Labor pushes 36 bills; RBA reforms loom; Don’t be a Black Friday fool
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Don’t be fooled by those Black Friday deals
The imported phenomenon of Black Friday seems to get bigger each year. It’s all part of a psychological game of cat and mouse between retailers and shoppers.
Small retailers give a ‘hard no’ to Black Friday and the big sales
Dr Dough Donuts boss Kristy Bannister says discount blitzes like Black Friday do more harm than good for smaller retailers by creating “unsustainable” expectations.
August 2024
Dan Murphy’s owner Endeavour reveals slow start to the financial year
The group, which also runs hotels and wineries, started the new financial year with weaker than expected turnover.
Jump in JB Hi-Fi sales fuels retail earnings optimism
Investors predict better-than-expected earnings for retailers after months of soft trading.
‘We know over 500 customers’ are searching for it’: the big changes coming to DJs
Although shoppers remain cautious, Scott Fyfe and Anchorage Capital are hoping their $250 million revamp will keep consumers spending.
February 2024
JB Hi-Fi shares hit record as retailer tops first-half expectations
Chief executive Terry Smart says it is vital for the retailer to keep improving productivity given the rising cost of wages and utilities.
January 2024
How retailers adapt to the crunch
Charles-Eddy Vitry shut down his record store’s physical shopfront in December to go online only after sales plummeted and his rent increased by 20 per cent.
Retail sales plunge, Godfreys goes bust
Shoppers slashed retail spending in the run-up to Christmas by the most since the pandemic lockdowns, by cutting back on household goods, clothes and footwear.
Supercheap Auto, BCF sales jump as Rebel slows
Black Friday and Christmas trading was good for Super Retail Group, but higher wages, rent and electricity will dent margins in the first half.
December 2023
KMD dives to lowest since 2020 after sales drop 12.5pc
The owner of Rip Curl and Kathmandu says orders from its wholesale customers have dried up, while sales of rainwear and puffer jackets were weak due to warmer weather in Australia.
The six locations where AusPost is testing the end of daily letters
The government is expected to sign off on dropping such deliveries potentially as early as this week, as part of a restructure of Australia Post.