Retail

Western Australia’s retail sector is showing the strain of the slowing state economy, with consumer spending falling for the first time since April 2010.

Billabong shares have surged after an American shareholder group called for a spill of the embattled surfwear company's board.

Electrical and homewares retailer Harvey Norman's full year profit has fallen 17.5 per cent amid dwindling sales across its Australian and European businesses.

Shopping mall giant Westfield is more upbeat about its growth prospects in the United States than Australia.

David Jones says weak consumer sentiment has contributed to a continued decline in sales from its department stores.

Woolworths has lifted its full year profit almost 25 per cent amid solid earnings growth from its core supermarkets division.

Troubled surfwear company Billabong has made a net loss of $860 million with major writedowns and a drop in revenue.

Commerce Minister Michael Mischin says he is open to the possibility of further extending Sunday shopping hours, but has not made any firm decision on the matter.

Motor retailer and logistics company Automotive Holdings Group's profit is up more than 30 per cent, thanks to strong sales and results from its core businesses.

Wesfarmers is optimistic about the year ahead after supermarket giant Coles helped it grow annual profit by 6 per cent to $2.26 billion.

Stronger sales and improved margins have lifted retailer JB HiFi's net profit by more than 11 per cent.

Retail spending figures for June were below market expectations but it appears that the big retailers are seeing an improvement in sales.

Retail giant Woolworths grew sales by 4.3 per cent to more than $59 billion last financial year.

Woolworths is bracing for its home improvement division to lose $139 million as the building sector struggles and wage costs blow out.

After running some of Perth's best-known nightclubs for five years, businessman David Heaton is taking a decidedly different tack in his next business venture.

Shares in ailing surfwear retailer Billabong are riding a wave after news chief Launa Inman will step down as part of a deal with a US private equity group to help refinance its debts.

Beleaguered surfwear icon Billabong is expected to announce asset sales and new loans within days as it fights to overcome weak revenues and oversized debt.

Consumer confidence has improved, but remains weaker than it was at the beginning of the year.

Charter Hall has bought a shopping centre in Perth’s southern suburbs for $33.2 million.

Supermarket giant Coles has been wrongly labelling its bread as baked in-store, the competition watchdog says.

There was a sharp bounce in consumer confidence in June, but it may be short-lived.The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment in June rose 4.7 per cent to 102.2 points.

Target has announced 260 jobs will go in a restructure of its business operations.

Consumer confidence in Western Australia has fallen to a record low, in terms of both short and long-term outlooks.

Billabong will look to offload assets and cut costs to deal with debt after yet another takeover bid for the troubled retailer collapsed.

Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder believes intervening to save failing companies stifles innovation and discourages creativity.

Westfield Group chairman and Australia's second-richest person Frank Lowy has defended his right to receive directors' fees.

Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder is hopeful the conglomerate will seek out new acquisitions offshore in the years ahead.

David Jones says weak consumer sentiment and an unseasonably warm start to winter contributed to a 2.2 per cent fall in third quarter sales.

The federal government needs to restore consumer confidence by securing jobs and ensuring less red tape, says Australia's peak retail group.

Wesfarmers has downgraded its earnings forecast for its Target stores, predicting a "disappointing" result for the department store chain.

US home ware retailer Williams-Sonoma is understood to have chosen Perth as the location for its third Australian store amid a growing number of international retail giants coming west.

Shopping centre owner Westfield Retail Trust (WRT) says consumer confidence is improving, but shoppers are still cautious and sales growth is still low.