Retail

OPINION: Everyone exposed to the Australian retail industry knows how tough conditions are, but what they might not fully understand is the extent to which a once-local industry is being blasted out of business by international competition.

Wesfarmers is considering a spin-out of its profitable Officeworks business, which contributed to strong earnings growth for the Perth-based conglomerate in the first half alongside Bunnings and Kmart.

Incoming Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott, who will formally take his new job late this year, says the business will continue to thrive on the back of its diversity across markets.

Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder will step down this year after more than 12 years in charge of the company to be replaced by his deputy, Rob Scott.

The Taylor Road IGA in Nedlands has won the accolade of best independent supermarket in the world, sharing the title with another IGA from South Australia.

Strong sales of computers, cameras and home appliances have helped drive JB Hi-Fi's half-year profit up by nearly 16 per cent to $110.4 million.

At least two Western Australian Bunnings warehouses will close as part of the hardware giant's purchase of Woolworths' Masters sites, BWP Trust has disclosed.

New car sales in Western Australia have started the year on a sour note, with sales down more than 10 per cent in the first month of 2017.

Strong sales growth in Australia has lifted outdoor clothing specialist Kathmandu's expectations for its first-half profit result.

Mobile phone retailer Allphones has closed 18 stores and made 69 people redundant after it collapsed into voluntary administration, putting at risk the jobs of hundreds more employees around Australia.

Yowie chocolates - Australia's answer to Kinder Surprise - are returning to local shops for the first time after their relaunch in the United States three years ago.

Local businesses aren't popping the champagne corks for an economic recovery just yet despite the latest data from the Commonwealth Bank showing a rise in transactions across a range of sectors during the Christmas trading period.

German supermarkets giant Aldi says it will open 14 more stores in Western Australia this year, after the debut of 19 of its outlets in Western Australia in 2016.

The second-hand car business was revolutionised 20 years ago with the arrival of the internet, but there is a second revolution under way that promises to be even more disruptive and could have a significant effect on some of Western Australia's best-known car yards.

More than 200 jobs could be lost under plans by food giant Goodman Fielder to close production sites in Western Australia and Queensland.

Woolworths has appointed long-standing Tesco executive Claire Peters as managing director of its supermarkets chain, which is battling Coles and Aldi to lure customers.

David Jones' South African parent company says the department store chain lifted adjusted first-half sales four per cent.

ANALYSIS: The popularity of online shopping in the US has reached a tipping point, breaking bricks and mortar retailers' hold on the market.

A fall of 5.6 per cent in new vehicle sales for the past year in Western Australia, to 100,234, takes to nearly 22 per cent the reduction in annual sales since 2012.

ASX-listed manufacturer Alexium International Group has signed an initial agreement to supply chemicals to a US homewares company for a new line of cool-touch pillows, in a move the company said could eventually generate revenues of $US10 million per annum.

No sooner have retailers modified their business model to deal with a new technology than along comes a fresh challenge to the sector.

Business News work experience student Jay Lake explains how some fashion consumers aim to profit from their purchases.

Perth's specialist street wear vendors are part of a global trend to acutely restrict supply of distributed and in-house labels – following in the footsteps of many luxury brands that use scarcity as a marketing tool.

The administrators appointed to Howards Storage World, which has four franchise stores in Perth, say it is too early to identify the reasons for the retailer's financial troubles.

An Aboriginal-owned business that distributes environmentally friendly industrial products has expanded its international reach with the opening of its first jointly-owned store in China.

A federal court judge has cleared Woolworths of unlawfully seeking payments from suppliers to boost its bottom line, dismissing a case brought by the competition watchdog.

Mount Lawley liquor retailer Grand Cru Wine Shop has undergone an evolution since being established more than 42 years ago.

Bunnings' long-serving chief executive John Gillam has announced he is stepping down from the role, but will continue to serve the business as an adviser.

Western Australia experienced yet another horror month for new car sales, with the prospect of a last-minute turnaround to bring the year on par with 2015's poor result looking very unlikely.

Food and grocery wholesaler Metcash's earnings have taken a hit from intense price competition and Aldi's expansion into South Australia and Western Australia.

Woolworths bosses have sought to reassure shareholders about the future of its struggling discount department chain, Big W, a week after its newly installed chief executive resigned.

A WA-based company could potentially shake up the $US96 billion global textile industry with a natural fibre originally sourced from wine.