Retail Industry

Nearly three-and-a-half decades after a catastrophic crash wiped out the Japanese asset bubble, its stock market has finally hit a record high. But the ASX is not following, amid a raft of mixed profit results. Follow the latest updates in our live blog.

It's been one of those weeks for Woolworths boss Brad Banducci, kicking off with the airing of a trainwreck Four Corners interview on Australian supermarket competition. But it all promises to end well, at least for him.

Brad Banducci will be remembered for his TV interview walkout, but in his years in the top job he's delivered Woolworths bumper profits, writes Four Corners' Angus Grigg and Elise Potaka.

Weighing up whether to intervene in the clothing industry to divert clothes going to landfill, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says the churn of fast fashion must shift.

Brad Banducci is retiring as the supermarket giant announces a massive loss and faces ongoing allegations of price gouging and unfair practices with suppliers.

With details emerging of the tactics employed by Coles and Woolworths to increase profits at the check-out, what are the multiple inquiries on supermarket pricing examining and what might they accomplish?

The ASX closed down, Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka announced she will step down and BHP CEO Mike Henry speaks with The Business.

Four Corners has spoken to insiders, experts, and the supermarket CEOs themselves to find out just how they operate. Here's what you need to know.

You might not have noticed, but Australia's biggest liquor retailers are now selling vast numbers of their own private-label wine, beer and pre-mixes. It's leading to concerns about a further concentration of market power. 

Leaked emails reveal for the first time the tactics Coles employs when a supplier seeks a price increase and how it has taken advantage of inflation to boost profits.

The Australian share market closed higher as miners benefited from a rise in commodity prices, while insurers IAG and QBE and Inghams closed lower after releasing their latest earnings results missing analyst profit expectations. After years in the making, the OECD has released Pillar Two of its global plan to collect more tax from multinationals. But will countries implement it?

The ASX ended higher on Thursday despite data from the ABS showing the unemployment rate climbed to 4.1 per cent in January. Meanwhile, some major companies posted rising profits, including gas giant Origin and Wesfarmers. Read how the day unfolded.

The Australian share market finished lower for the day as earnings season continued, while the price of bitcoin surged to $US50,000 for the first time in two years and AGL's Loy Yang A power station in Victoria suffers an outage.

Bright yellow with blemish-free skin, bananas at major supermarkets tend to look "perfect", but will a push to sell produce affected by recent tropical cyclones in North Queensland shatter this widespread consumer ideology?

RBA governor Michele Bullock said the central bank would consider cutting rates before inflation returned to 2.5 per cent if the economy was in good shape, while the ASX ended higher for the third-straight day after a subdued start.

Australia's publicly listed companies are opening their books, but higher interest rates, moderating inflation and a slowing economy has analysts forecasting modest half-year results for big business.

Australian shares end higher after AGL posts a better than expected half-year profit and upgrades its forecast for the full year. Mainland Chinese shares shrug off the worst deflation numbers since the global financial crisis. Look back on how the trading day unfolded.

Coles and Woolworths point to increased prices from suppliers as one of the reasons for painful increases to supermarket prices, as the supermarkets offer defences to a federal inquiry into the issue.

The former chair of the ACCC takes aim at electricity providers, banks, airlines, supermarkets, and other big businesses in his new report on price gouging and unfair pricing practices.

The Australian share market rebounds from two straight sessions of losses led by heavyweight miners, while the Woodside-Santos merger collapses, and NAB promotes British-Canadian executive Andrew Irvine as its next CEO.

Concerns are raised about groups of children stealing from supermarkets, after a "distressing" incident at a remote Kimberley store during which teens stole drinks and confectionary and tried to break into a cigarette cabinet.

The RBA has kept interest rates on hold at 4.35 per cent after its first two-day meeting, but says it cannot rule out future rate hikes to keep inflation in check. Look back on how the day unfolded with our blog.

A report into soaring grocery prices, rising energy bills and steep airfares will be released on Wednesday. Its findings and recommendations will cause a headache for some of the country's biggest and most powerful companies, writes Adele Ferguson.

ASX200 closes at record high following gains on Wall Street after Apple, Amazon and Facebook's Meta post results. The dispute between DP World and the Maritime Union comes to an end, but impact could linger for industry and consumers. New data shows lending for new homes is slowing. 

In the heart of country Victoria, where banks are shutting their doors, many small retailers depend on cash — but it can be hard to come by.