business
Consumer affairs
This pint-sized Chippendale terrace is as edgy, exciting and brave as a Stanley Kubrick film
In transforming it, the architect threw caution to the wind and let inspiration bubble to the surface. The result is simply brilliant.
- by Stephen Crafti
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WeightWatchers Australia forced to shed staff as Ozempic effect takes toll
Oprah Winfrey’s abrupt break with WeightWatchers this year pointed to the company’s struggles amid a new generation of weight-loss drugs. Now its Australian arm is taking a hit.
- by Colin Kruger and Jessica Yun
‘Once they max out, they come to us’: Pawnbrokers buoyed by cost of living
The industry says it’s providing a line of credit to people with nowhere else to go amid financial pressures, but advocates say it’s a legislative blind spot.
- by Penry Buckley
The rewards ruse that’s catching Telstra customers off guard
Banks, telcos and social media companies could soon be held accountable for failing to protect customers, but there is a big vulnerability in our anti-scammer systems that needs a fix.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Homes from the ’80s scream for attention, but this river gem is different
A 40-odd-year-old home overlooking inner Melbourne’s Yarra couldn’t be more at odds with the ‘greed is good’ reputation of the 1980s.
- by Stephen Crafti
Australia is a top gas exporter. Should it start to import it now too?
A plan to start importing giant shipments of liquefied gas reopened for approval amid worries of an east-coast energy crunch.
- by Nick Toscano and Mike Foley
‘Batteries on wheels’: Imagine earning $3000 a year from your electric car
Tantalising new technology means electric cars could reshape the power grid – and make drivers money.
- by Nick Toscano
‘Nobody wants just cheap’: Inside the rebrand of home brand groceries
Home brand products, once considered cheap, ugly and low-quality, have gotten a glow-up over the years – and are now profit drivers for supermarket giants.
- by Jessica Yun
Red wine for Melburnians, sav blanc for Sydneysiders – and lattes for all
Food delivery app data shows NSW residents want sauvignon blanc, lemonade and cola delivered to their door, while Victorians want red wine and VB.
- by Madeleine Heffernan
The best and worst companies to cancel a subscription with
A new report calls for opting out of subscriptions to become as easy as opting in.
- by Madeleine Heffernan
Chocolate lovers forced to pay more for less as cocoa costs soar
Soaring cocoa prices have shaken Australia’s $5.5 billion chocolate industry, putting smaller chocolate makers at risk.
- by Madeleine Heffernan
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs