Retail

Perth retail chain Muscleworx is poised for national expansion after buying its major competitor and securing backing from private equity investor Banksia Capital.

You don’t have to be a retailing expert to sense the sea change under way in shopping, but what you might not appreciate is that the first shots have been fired in what could become one of the great Australian retail mergers, with Myer and David Jones becoming one business.

The declining spending power of consumers is hurting retailers and pointing to a revenue squeeze for the federal government, economists say.

OPINION: Wesfarmers has received some positive news on its move into UK hardware, but things are less rosy for investors in the local property trust in which it holds a major stake.

Myer says it has received no approach from prospective buyers following the huge buy-up that sent the department store operator's shares surging by almost 20 per cent yesterday afternoon.

Shares in Myer rose nearly 20 per cent during late trading on the Australian share market today on speculation that someone may be considering a takeover play for the department store operator.

Two days after Harvey Norman rejected a claim that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission was reviewing its accounts, the retail giant has said the corporate watchdog is undertaking a “routine review”.

A recent report by professional services firm Deloitte Access Economics suggests retail spending could be slowly picking up in Western Australia, with recent official data finding sales grew 0.3 per cent in January after seasonal adjustment.

Old houses in Britain and Ireland are a key reason home improvement giant Bunnings expects its UK expansion to be a success.

Global Construction Services has received a $27.5 million contract for work on the first stage of Scentre Group’s Westfield Carousel shopping centre redevelopment.

OPINION: High fixed and labour costs are big barriers to a sustainable retail sector, as recent failures attest.

Moves to extend trading hours on weekdays and on Sundays could be a hit with voters, according to a recent survey conducted for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA, with 59 per cent of shoppers keen for longer weekday trade.

The pickup in the state’s economy revealed in the latest GDP data hasn’t flowed through to spending on new cars, with vehicle sales in February 13.7 per cent lower than the same month in 2016.

At a time when bricks and mortar retailers are facing an online onslaught, and with just about every person on the street having a camera in their pocket, Camera Electronic is fighting back, opening a new store in the CBD.

West Perth-based Automotive Holdings Group has predicted the state’s automotive market will remain challenging in the short term, as the company reported a 20 per cent fall in net profit after tax in the six months to December.

Woolworths' crucial comparable food sales for the first half have outshone those at fierce rival Coles in a sign that heavy discounting is luring shoppers back.

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.