The top headlines for the week involved a supermarket giant underpaying staff and a new product collaboration. Read below what happened in the sector this week.
Coles underpaid staff an estimated $20 million
Supermarket giant Coles underpaid around 600 workers $20 million over the last six years. Coles CEO Steven Cain said the company began reviewing wages in November 2019 and found that “there were some differences between their remuneration and the general retail industry award”.
Amatil’s Australia division drove 34 per cent lift in FY profit
Coca-Cola Amatil has reported a 34 per cent uplift in full year profit, as it marks the end of a two-year transition period for the business. Earnings before interest and tax increased by 0.8 per cent to $639.3 million, while net profit after tax lifted 1.4 per cent to $393.9 million. All segments delivered revenue growth, including the Australian business which recorded the first full-year revenue increase since 2012. It was another strong year for Coca-Cola No Sugar, which drove revenue and volume growth in the Australian Beverages business.
Woolworths to open first eStore by mid-2020
Supermarket giant Woolworths is working on its first Australian eStore at Carrum Downs, Melbourne. A 2,400 square metre facility will be built at the back of the grocery store, which will house state-of-the-art automated picking technology for its online orders. The supermarket partnered with Takeoff Technologies in August 2019 to improve the online grocery experience.
Arnott’s, Bega created a barbecue snack
Australian brand Arnott’s and dairy giant Bega’s brand, Picky Picky Peanuts, worked on a new barbecue snack with a nod to Shapes. The Picky Picky Peanuts inspired by Arnott’s Shapes Barbecue is now available in a 200g pack. Shannon Wright, Arnott’s marketing manager said that the barbecue flavour has been a popular choice with consumers for decades.
Asahi partnered with recycling leaders to build plastic pelletising facility
Beverage giant Asahi partnered with Pact Group Holdings and Cleanaway Waste Management to construct a local plastic pelletising facility. The facility can process up to 28,000 tonnes of plastic bottles and other recyclables, which will be turned into flake and food grade pellets for raw materials used on food and beverage packaging. It will be located in Albury/Wodonga.
That’s it for this week. We’ll be back on Monday!
