Retail

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.

Australian retailers hope March trading figures are just a "temporary blip" as they urge the Reserve Bank to slash interest rates even further.

Troubled surfwear retailer Billabong has extended its exclusive takeover talks with the Sycamore consortium.

Wesfarmers' supermarket chain Coles has lifted its quarterly sales by 6.4 per cent despite it having slashed prices for shoppers.

Australian grocery giant Woolworths is considering setting up shop overseas, but won't say where it's looking.

Dairy producer Devondale has signed a decade-long deal with Coles to supply the supermarket giant's home brand milk.

Troubled surfwear retailer Billabong appears closer to being taken over, but at a significantly lower price than previously offered.

Wesfarmers has parachuted in the head of operations at its Coles supermarkets chain, Stuart Machin, to run discount department store Target following the shock resignation of Dene Rogers.

Shares in troubled retailer Billabong have been suspended indefinitely so it can continue takeover talks with two potential suitors.

Billabong's shares have been placed in a trading halt as talks with two potential suitors drag on.

Fruit and vegie prices fell in March, but the savings were eaten up by increases in the cost of fuel, alcohol and tobacco.

Supermarket giant Woolworths has raised concerns in the dairy industry with a plan to deal directly with a group of farmers to secure milk supplies.

Cash Converters has obtained $60 million from Westpac Bank that the second hand dealer and short-term loan provider will use to grow its personal loan book.

Apple has blamed global music labels and movie studios for making it more expensive for Australians to download music, television shows and movies than people in the US.