Industry Updates - All

Vic poker faced on federal pre-commitment trial

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:37:05 GMT

The federal government’s mandatory pre-commitment rethink has brought a sigh of relief from pubs and clubs that rely heavily on revenues from gaming machines. While there is uncertainty about the future of mandatory pre-commitment nationally, what is certain is that the Victorian State Government is dedicated to pressing ahead with a voluntary pre-commitment system that will allow players to opt out if they choose.

The writing on the wall

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:27:34 GMT

With all the change happening for retailers these days (online, mobile technology) many people ask me: what does this mean for retail property?

The short answer is plenty, but it depends a little on what sort of retail property you own, as some are more vulnerable than others.

Surf's out!

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:23:40 GMT

Don’t you just love summer in Australia? It can be hot enough to fry an egg or wet enough to drown a rat whilst listening to the cricket, watching the Australian Open tennis, going to the beach and, of course, hitting the surf!

Speaking of surf, many of you would know that the three biggest surf brands in the world all started in Australia: Ripcurl and Quiksilver in Torquay – just a few minutes from the famous Bells Beach – and Billabong in Queensland on the Gold Coast.

Selling picks and shovels to miners

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:18:03 GMT

During the 19th century Victorian gold rush a few lucky miners struck it rich and made their fortune. However, the really great fortunes were accumulated by canny merchants supplying the daily needs of miners. These were the publicans, grocers and traders of ordinary goods.

All I want for Christmas is...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:43:27 GMT

Customers of course!

2011 has been one of the toughest years for retailers since the early 90s. Not only have we seen very difficult trading conditions, we have also seen the launch of international retail models into Australia and the growth of online to a level not seen before in this country.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:53:33 GMT

In this issue of Pubs on Tap John Lindholm and Colin Gill share an exclusive list of performance indicators they have compiled from their work with pubs and clubs, allowing you to check if you are in fact "keeping up with the Joneses".

Location, location: new rules - new challenges

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:32:18 GMT

As if the pharmacy game wasn’t already tough enough – with falling margins, contracting government subsidies and tightening credit terms from wholesalers – along comes a whole new set of challenges changing pharmacists’ ability to establish a new business or relocate an existing one.

Remote control: Our driverless future?

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:55:58 GMT

Remote control: Our driverless future?

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:36:49 GMT

While laser-guided forklifts and other small vehicles have long been fixtures inside leading edge warehouses around the world, we are starting to see an uptake on mining sites of driverless trucks. These vehicles are programmed and controlled by an operator at a computer potentially thousands of kilometres away.

The battle lines are drawn . . .

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:27:07 GMT

The gloves are on and Mark McInnes of Premier Investments has come out swinging, landing the first punch earlier this year when he announced that marginal stores will close if landlords do not enter the ring with a view to negotiating more sustainable rents.