James Reid

As the biggest franchise in Western Australia measured by the number of outlets, Jim’s (WA) reflects two of the major trends in franchising – it is a service-based business and a diversified group.

SPECIAL REPORT: The ubiquitous influence of the internet in modern business has brought an uptick in investment in Perth’s data storage capacity, and into new high-speed subsea cables.

Deal hungry Vocus Communications is buying a Nextgen Group subsidiary, plus two WA-focused development projects, for up to $861 million to bolster its telecommunications infrastructure and earnings pipeline.

Chartered accounting and advisory firm PKF Lawler has appointed Nikki Shen as a partner in its audit and assurance team. Ms Shen previously served as audit director for William Buck, where she worked for eight years. Prior to that she was audit manager in Moore Stephens’ Singapore office.