Industry leaders and representatives from Wine Australia met with the Victorian Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, the Hon. Jaala Pulford, on the 9 th of June to unveil the Victorian Wine Industry Development Strategy. At the launch, Minister Pulford announced the commitment of nearly $900,000 in funding to the Victorian Government’s Wine Growth Fund. The grant will be used in c…

Jos de Bruin, CEO of Master Grocers Australia (MGA), is concerned that the increase to award wage rates by 3.3% will be a direct hit to small retailers. Mr de Bruin said the high cost of running a business alongside the increase in competition in the Australian retail industry is already tough on smaller, independent enterprises. MGA believes that a more moderate increase to wages by the Fair Work…

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement has reached its first anniversary, instated on December 20, 2015, and the results have shown incredible success. Under the agreement, Australian wine exporters have been able to claim preferential tariff reductions through accompanying wine consignments with a ChAFTA Certificate of Origin. The rate has decreased from 14 per cent to 8.4 per cent for most wine and wi…

It has been announced to the market today that The Sazerac Company has acquired SouthTrade International from Pinnacle Drinks. Tony Stubley, co-founder of SouthTrade said: “This change in ownership will allow us to open up new routes to market and service an even wider range of customers who are seeking our authentic and experiential brands as part of their drinks repertoire. Meanwhile, our relationship w…

Metcash Limited’s FY16 results in June  represented a significant turn around for the business, with post tax profits of $216.5m – a major improvement on from its $384.2m loss in FY15. The results were driven by the company’s liquor business, which increased its total sales by 3.7 per cent to $3.2bn. Metcash’s liquor business has two divisions, including Australian Liquor Marketers (ALM) and Independent …

The NSW Government is seeking public feedback on small bar liquor licences, including licence requirements, factors affecting the uptake of this new type of liquor licence and the impacts of the legislation. Formal written submissions will be accepted by Liquor & Gaming NSW until 15 July 2016, with short surveys also available for licensees and members of the public here . Learn more about the review…

Over the last few months, there has been increased conversation around the new industry body, Alcohol Beverages Australia (ABA). In March, Managing Director of Lion, James Brindley, mentioned the idea of a ‘pan industry’ body that would represent brewers, distillers, winemakers, retailers, and even hoteliers. Former NSW Political Adviser and Communications Consultant, Fergus Taylor, was then appointed as …

Keystone Group has said that it is business as usual at its venues while receivers work through the details of the sale. The Group was placed into receivership on Tuesday, affecting 17 bars and restaurants across the country, including Bungalow 8, Cargo Bar, Chophouse (Perth & Sydney), Gazebo, Jamie’s Italian (nationwide), Kingsleys (Brisbane & Woolloomooloo), Manly Wine, Sugarmill Hotel, The Rook…

By Peter Cox, a CPA with over three decades of experience in financial  management for the hospitality industry. His website  www.petermcox.com.au has a host of free financial management tools  to increase the profitability and cash flow generation in your venue. What is the real key indicator of financial performance for your venue? The most important calculation is not sales per person or even return o…

Simon Ford from Shopper Tracker spoke to over 200 people 23 March at the Drinks Association network breakfast hosted at the Sydney Cricket Grounds. By Michelle Manus Simon focused on the importance behind shopper marketing and brand decision making to maximize drive among retailer and consumer satisfaction. “It’s solution retailing not product retailing. That’s getting into the mind of the shopper, unders…