Australia’s FMCG sector had another colourful week. Supermarket giant made the headlines again with pokies issues this time; Petrol giant announced plans to shell out millions to buy out franchisees and another Aussie grocery giant’s workers give pay deal a nod.
It was also an exciting week in the business industry as Inside Retail Live 2018 was held in Melbourne. Major retail companies joined the festivities.
Woolies takes ALH pokies allegations seriously
Woolworths joint venture partner Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) has dobbed itself into regulators after its staff were accused of profiling punters to encourage them to stay longer and gamble more. Federal MP and anti-pokies campaigner Andrew Wilkie obtained data being kept on gamblers at Woolworths-owned pubs. He said it fosters increased gaming addiction. While Woolies chairman Gordon Cairns said he was concerned about the allegations on ALH and was taking them very seriously. We’ll see how this one rolls out.
Caltex to spend $120 million on franchisees
Caltex Australia has a massive plan on its sleeves to shell out up to $120 million to buyout its franchisees to fulfill its plan to have all company owned service stations by 2020. The news comes after the petrol giant was rocked by a wage underpayment scandal recently. Caltex also rolled out 26 new format “The Foodary” pilot stores that offer healthy food on-the-go and convenient services. A lot of big things are happening for the petrol giant. We’ll keep a lookout on developing news in the next few weeks!
Coles workers say yes to pay deal
Finally thousands of Coles workers will get a one-off payment of almost $500 each and salary increase under a new workplace agreement. The deal includes the immediate payment of $475 for full-time workers and a pro-rata payment for part-time and casual staff. The agreement is now lodged with Fair Work Commission waiting for approval. Looks like a happy ending for many of their supermarket employees.
That’s all for this week. Have a great weekend!
