Retail

Woolworths has slipped to a $1.23 billion full-year loss after a big decline in earnings from its Australian food and drink business and more than $2.6 billion of write-downs.

Woolworths has announced its exit from the home improvement sector, with all of its Masters stores to close in early December and the properties to be redeveloped by a private consortium, while its Home Timber & Hardware business is to be sold to Metcash.

Strong profit results from Wesfarmers' Coles and Bunnings stores have been overshadowed by hefty write-downs linked to Target and its coal assets.

The collapse of Dick Smith has highlighted the trends and challenges facing Scentre Group's Westfield shopping centres.

Woolworths is overhauling its loyalty program less than a year after the unpopular revamp that introduced orange tickets and prompted complaints from customers.

Automotive Holdings Group has announced plans to raise up to $110 million from investors and purchase two car yards on the east coast, on the same day it revealed an increase in full-year profit.

Shares in JB Hi-Fi have soared after the retailer beat its full-year profit guidance following the collapse of rival Dick Smith.

The short selling of shares in some of Australia's biggest retail stocks suggests investors are concerned about the sector's future.

JB Hi-Fi has welcomed the competition watchdog's green light to make a move for whitegoods retailer The Good Guys.

Automotive Holdings Group has announced an unusual 12-month leadership transition under which current managing director, Bronte Howson, will become special counsel, while also getting a special cash payout and potentially early vesting of long-term performance rights.

Car sales in Western Australia remain stalled, according to the latest figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

UnitingCare West has made a creative and confronting statement with its 2016 Winter Appeal, which features an eye-catching shop window display in Forrest Chase across the Perth train station overpass.

Struggling supermarket giant Woolworths is slashing 500 jobs and will incur a charge of $959 million in its full year results as it continues restructuring its operations.

Dick Smith's management focused on increasing revenue at the expense of sustainable growth, administrators for the failed electronics retailer says.

Building will start next year on a $600 million redevelopment of Karrinyup Shopping Centre, with construction giant Brookfield Multiplex adding the big ticket job to its portfolio of works.

Woolworths is at risk of making further price cuts in what will ultimately lead to a full-blown supermarket price war, analysts warn.

Medibank Private won't be able to provide annual tax statements on time to the majority of its customers because of a problem upgrading its technology.

Retail sales were up 0.1 per cent in trend terms in Western Australia in May, to $2.82 billion, about 1 per cent higher than the same month last year.

Discretionary spending usually takes a hit in a downturn, but some WA retailers and service providers are banking on a bright future.

Wesfarmers isn't seeking to offload its coal mine, despite anticipating what could be a $600 million hit from its embattled resources division.

Metcash's core food and grocery business suffered a significant fall in profit as the group tried to keep up with the major supermarkets' price cuts, with the company warning of ongoing pressure in Western Australia following Aldi's expansion into the state.

The consumer watchdog is launching an industry-wide investigation into Australia's new car retail business following its probes of Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler.

Big private car retailer DVG Automotive Group has released its results for the 2015 financial year, showing a tightening economy had not significantly hit its sales ahead of the sale of a majority stake to Japanese interests.

Aldi has opened its first four Perth stores to much fanfare across the city, ending a three-year-plus wait for the German supermarket chain to touch down in Western Australia.

Changes to the private label offerings at Woolworths supermarkets are a defensive response to the growing popularity of German discount retailer Aldi, but won't have the impact the retailer hopes it will, according to a Sydney business academic.

Supermarket giant Woolworths has been fined $9 million over its involvement in cartel behaviour among Australia's biggest laundry detergent suppliers.

New car sales in Western Australia dropped again last month, with a rise in SUV sales unable to counteract a slump in passenger vehicle sales.

Car retailer Automotive Holdings Group has increased its east coast franchise portfolio with the purchase of a Mazda dealership in Melbourne.

David Jones has revamped its senior management team and created a new digital role to support the department store business's continued overhaul.

Wesfarmers' full-year profit will be hit by write-downs and restructuring costs of about $2 billion related to its Target department stores and Queensland coal mine.

Whitegoods retailer The Good Guys is pushing ahead with plans to float on the Australian Securities Exchange despite holding takeover talks.

Shopping centre owners will need to fill 1,784 new shops by 2020, if an estimated $4.5 billion wave of mall development in Perth comes to fruition.