Maccas’ desperate effort to get back on top
PEOPLE are eating less Maccas and its sales have been slumping for months. So what can a big multinational do to win back its customers?
Retail
Is this the death of the penalty rate?
WEEKEND penalty rates are set to be slashed in one Australian state after a historic deal that could spread to the rest of the country.
How McDonald’s is luring kids
MUMMY bloggers spreading the word, teachers selling Happy Meals to kids: this is how McDonald’s has perfected the art of marketing to children.
Starbucks red-faced over race campaign
IT WAS meant to encourage a conversation around race relations, but many Starbucks customers were furious at this campaign.
Things you don’t have to do yourself anymore
FROM writing a wedding speech to popping down to the shops to getting a guy covered in fruit to sing Happy Birthday, you can pretty much pay someone else to do everything for you.
‘I’ve been dyiiiing for these pants!’
OBSESSED Lululemon fans are paying hundreds of dollars for sold-out styles of their famous ‘butt-tastic’ workout leggings online but little do they know they’re being duped … big time.
Who wouldn’t want a burger-scented perfume?
HAVEN’T you always wanted to smell exactly like a flame-grilled Whopper? Now you can, and for the bargain basement price of $53.
How Coke gets you to think it’s healthy
JUNK food companies are employing some sneaky tricks to get consumers to think their products are actually good for the body.
Someone explain this milk thing
THAT’S it. Someone needs to explain this once and for all. Is A2 milk actually better for you? Shoppers love it, but most of them couldn’t tell you why.
What’s wrong with this picture?
PLEASE, big supermarkets, we are begging you. Stop doing this. There are no winners if you keep it up.
This company is getting rich off shoplifting
THIS start-up company has made over $7.2 million by giving criminals an offer they couldn’t refuse. It sounds like complete lunacy.
The bitter family feud behind giants
MORE than 60 years ago, two brothers had a massive falling out, creating two of the biggest sportswear brands in the world.
Washing instruction label is unbelievably sexist
COLD rinse? Warm water? No fabric softener? Never mind any of that. A sportswear company is under fire for what has to be most sexist washing label we’ve seen.
Russia’s vendetta against McDonald’s and Coke
MACCAS and Coke are global powerhouse brands that billions of people love. But not the Russians. What have they got against them?
New code tackles supermarket rip-offs
SHOPPERS could look forward to cheaper groceries at the checkout as a result of a new food and grocery code of conduct to be in place from tomorrow.
Why groceries might get cheaper
THE numbers are in for Woolworths and they are not as good as everyone expected. But it could mean cheaper groceries for you. Here’s why.
A barrel of bad news for Woolies
ON YOUR way home tonight, Woolworths would very much like you to stop by its stores and spend some money. It’s having a bad day.
Holden offers servicing to 1948 cars
HOLDEN can now guarantee the service cost of a car made in 1948. Ford is handing out free loan cars. What’s the catch?
Will Coles get its just desserts?
THE supermarket giant could be about to face millions of dollars in fines for misleading its customers.
Drivers ripped off by servos
AUSTRALIANS are still getting ripped off at the petrol pump despite enjoying some of the lowest fuel prices in close to a decade.
Woolies’ next step to win your love
IN THE battle for your dollars, the supermarkets are rolling out all kinds of new services to capture your loyalty. What’s Woolworths’ latest play?
‘This happens when we want cheap food’
DID we bring the Hepatitis A outbreak on ourselves? Maybe. Our hunger for a bargain might be making our food more dangerous.
Can American Apparel clean up its act?
IT’S a brand that earned a reputation for sleaze, thanks to tasteless campaigns featuring overtly sexual images of young people. But can a new CEO rescue American Apparel?
Prices slashed as grocery war heats up
A NEW player has entered the supermarket space offering to slash 50 per cent off your weekly shopping bill. But is it too good to be true?
Chocolate workers dudded out of pay
A COMPANY that was part of Darrell Lea has defied the Fair Work Commission by leaving six Sydney workers more than $400,000 out of pocket.
This man is missing out on millions
SRIRACHA sauce has many devoted fans. So much so that others are now cashing in on its popularity. And the original’s 70-year-old founder is being cheated.
The crazy rule costing you on medicine
THE Pharmacy Guild wants Coles and Woolworths banned from selling prescription medicines but says it’s okay to have a supermarket in a chemist.
Jacqui Lambie’s threat over halal ‘terror’
JACQUI Lambie says she has uncovered some “surprising facts” about halal certification and Islamic State and has a warning for the government.
The stupidest products ever invented
WE ALL know and deeply resent the selfie stick. But believe it or not, that’s far from the dumbest product ever created. Some of these examples even made their inventors filthy rich.
Coke backs down after embarrassing debacle
WELL, this is embarrassing. Coke has been forced to back down on a major advertising campaign after being tricked into tweeting Hitler quotes from their official account.
Government takes over private supermarkets
DESPERATE times. A national government has seized control of a private supermarket chain after it arrested its owner.
Inside KFC’s fancy new store for adults
WHEN you think of KFC, you think of buckets of fried chicken and cricket, not quinoa and corn salsa. What’s going on at this new concept store?
Controversial ‘fat-shaming’ boss resigns
HE SAID ‘some women’ just weren’t made to wear his product. And now he’s finally stepped down from the board.
Aussie brand snaps up Super Bowl ad
A BRISBANE company will join the likes of Coca-Cola and Budweiser with a multi-million dollar 30 second ad in the Super Bowl today.
Kogan to shake up the big boys
FROM televisions to toothpaste, online retailer Kogan is taking on supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths with a grocery delivery site.
Why self-service check-outs suck
THEY’RE faulty, impersonal and gobbling up floorspace in a supermarket near you. This is why self-service check-outs are the worst.
Words a baker refused to write
A BAKER thought she was standing up against discrimination when she refused to write homophobic words on a cake – but now she is under attack.
$600k giveaway of ‘illegal’ spuds
A WA farmer is giving away 200 tonnes of ‘illegal’ spuds as a public protest against a bizarre, Soviet-style Ministry of Potatoes.
How Coke gets you to pay double
YOU’VE got to hand it to Coke. They’re very good at coming out with shiny, new packaging and cute mini-cans. But what’s it really costing you?
‘Ebola shop’ to close permanently
THE ‘Ebola shop’ owner has announced her store can no longer survive and will shut down forever from next month.
Three WA Man to Man stores to shut
MENSWEAR retailer Man to Man, which went into administration in December, will close 20 ‘underperforming’ Australian stores, including three in WA.
Man swallows needles, fined $10k
A MAN suing a burger chain after swallowing needles has been fined more than $10,000 in legal costs for missing a meeting.
Govt ‘punishing consumers’ over online GST
SUPPORTERS have slammed the Abbott government, accusing it of punishing consumers by attempting to make overseas online purchases more expensive.
Woolies denies sending out old bills
WOOLWORTHS says it is normal practice to audit invoices amid claims it is billing suppliers for accounting mistakes more than five years old.
Shoppers to splurge $2 billion on Boxing Day
IT’S been a good Christmas for Aussie shops. They’re expecting more than $2 billion to ring through the tills around the country on Boxing Day.
The one thing on everyone’s Christmas wishlist
AS AUSTRALIANS start to eye-off presents under the tree, many are hoping this is wrapped under the paper and bow.
Chrisco in court over Scrooge behaviour
POPULAR Christmas hamper company Chrisco is in hot water with the consumer watchdog for allegedly helping itself to customers’ bank accounts.
Online retail’s ho-ho-horrible month
THIS should sound alarm bells for online retailers. Despite the Christmas rush, online sales growth eased to its slowest pace on record in November.
Coles slapped with $11.25m in fines
COLES will pay $11.25 million in fines and costs but could end up paying more than double that refunding its suppliers following a settlement.
Record post-Christmas sales tipped
INCREASING dispensable incomes and the falling dollar is tipped to push Boxing Day and post-Christmas sales to a record $16.1 billion.
Coles admits to crossing the line
COLES has confessed that it ‘crossed the line’ and admitted to ‘unconscionable behaviour’. And now it has to pay up.
Reward yourself with card deals
CREDIT card rewards and frequent flyer point programs often cop a bit of flak from money experts who claim they’re not worth the cost or effort.
Amazon to change how you shop
AMAZON is a big reason why online shopping is so popular today. And now they have new plans to change your ecommerce habits.
The tricks affecting your shopping
THESE are the subconscious tricks stores will be using on you this Christmas to get you to spend. We dig deep into the sneakiest marketing ploys around.
Coles staff stealing your flybuys
COLES has introduced hi-tech security surveillance and tracking software to crack down on staff rorting flybuys points for cash.
Savvy shoppers dissecting prices
AUSTRALIAN shoppers are becoming choosier than ever by using their smartphones instore to snare the best prices possible.
Cheap fruit and veg – with a catch
WOOLWORTHS is rolling out a new initiative to cut waste and make healthy food cheaper. But there’s a catch. And it’s not pretty.
Huge new boost for your Flybuys
YOUR Flybuys balance is about to grow. From this weekend, customers can collect points with a dozen huge international brands, including Apple and eBay.
Supermarkets playing the lottery
SHOULD the major supermarkets be selling lottery tickets and scratchies at the check-out? It could be happening very soon, if Tatts gets its way.
Shareholders smack Gerry Harvey
HARVEY Norman’s 75-year-old billionaire founder Gerry Harvey has suffered an embarrassing smackdown by shareholders today.
Elsa freezes out Barbie on wish lists
FOR the first time in more than a decade, Barbie is not at the top of Christmas wish lists.
Retailer slammed for pornographic baby clothing
AN ONLINE retailer is facing a backlash for selling “sick” X-rated babygros, bibs and toddler T-shirts, which many say could encourage child abuse.
Blue diamond sells for record price
HOW much would you expect to pay for a whopping blue diamond? The world record was just broken for this one.
Is Aldi an unstoppable beast?
THE presence of Aldi supermarkets in Australia has reached ‘critical mass’, meaning shoppers should see prices come down.
David Jones’ very sad Christmas ad
CHRISTMAS is meant to be a happy, joyous time of year. So why are the makers of Christmas TV commercials trying to make us feel so sad?
Dodgy discount claims challenged
DISCOUNT chemist chain Chemist Warehouse has come under fire for allegedly presenting misleading discount claims on its dockets.
Your bra size could determine how much you spend
TALK about busting the spending curves. New figures have come out to suggest women with bigger bra-sizes are likely to spend more money.
The biggest sale happened, and you missed it
THE biggest online shopping event you’ve never heard of has just wrapped; with sales totalling more than the GDP of dozens of countries.
The biggest threat to Maccas and Coke
MCDONALD’S and Coca-Cola are staring down the barrel of oblivion. What’s got them in such a tizzy?
Coles’ not-so-fresh apple claims
COLES told Australians its apples were ‘fresh’ ‘spring’ fruit. Trouble was, the apples had been picked months ago.
Retailers expecting Christmas cheer
AFTER years of miserly Christmases, retailers are expecting consumers to open their wallets freely this year.
Your shopping just got way easier
ONLINE shopping has just become so much easier. You may never have to battle the crowds at a shopping centre again, and you can thank your letterbox.
Toys R Us fined $10k over unsafe cots
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has fined a major retailer over unsafe baby cots.
Two-year Starbucks lawsuit settled for $250
A WOMAN was so passionate about Starbucks coffee that when it stopped making her brew, she sued them. For two years. Was it worth it?
Supermarket’s awkward new package
A GROCERY giant has found itself under the social media spotlight after some unusual looking milk cartons appeared on its shelves.
Breaking Bad star wants dolls back
AARON Paul is furious with Toys ‘R’ Us after ‘Breaking Bad’ figurines were pulled from the shelves. Even US president Barack Obama was shocked.
Gloria Jean’s sold for $163.5 million
THE company behind Michel’s Patisserie and Donut King has bought Gloria Jean’s Coffees for $163.5 million.
Walter White deals wisecrack to mums
BRYAN Cranston has something to say to those American mums who have called for the removal of Breaking Bad figurines from ToysRUs.
Ikea is about to get less painful
IKEA, whose stadium-sized furniture stores draw shoppers from miles around, is going where its shoppers are: online.
Would you pay ahead for coffee?
NO MORE ‘triple-shot, mocha-frappa-iced-latte-cino, with extra whipped cream’ orders holding up the coffee queue. Starbucks has an innovative solution.
Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/page/200