After much speculation, Centro Retail has finally announced its new CEO.  Centro Retail Trust (CER) has appointed Robert Tsenin as its new CEO, following the departure of Glenn Rufrano. Chairman Peter Day said the Board is pleased to anno...

Myer first-half profit declined 74.4 per cent, after the costs of floating the company, as the department store owner says it remains cautious about the outlook for the second half of fiscal 2010.  Net profit fell to $21.3 million for the 26 w...

How much did the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision to raise interest rates impact on consumer confidence? Not much, according to a new report.  The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index rose 0.3 index points in March ...

The Australian dollar opened flat on Thursday ahead of key domestic employment data.  At 0700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was $US0.9159/61, barely up from Wednesday's close of $US0.9151/53. Since 1700 AEDT on Wednesday, the local unit traded ...

The Happy Jack's Emporium sells hot pies and wine at "cellar door prices", but many customers stop by just to pick up the mail - much to the displeasure of the rural Victorian shopkeeper. Spend a bit more in the general store or you'll risk losi...

Analysts are preparing for a few surprises with the announcement of both Myer and David Jones' first half results imminent.  Department store giants David Jones and Myer Holdings are likely to have driven first half profit growth on cost reduc...

The Australian dollar opened higher after a business confidence survey boosted traders' hopes of an interest rate rise in April.  At 0700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was $US0.9133/34, up from Tuesday's close of $US0.9092/96. Since 1700 AE...

An Access Economics report says it has found the key to higher retail spending over the next 12 months.  Strong jobs growth should provide a firm foundation for retail spending over this year and next, independent forecaster Access Economics s...

Sydney Airport says a $500 million investment to upgrade its T1 international passenger terminal is already starting to pay dividends, months out from completion.  A survey commissioned by the operator found 84 per cent of passengers rate the ...

One of Australia's largest surfwear brands has been slugged with a lawsuit by a former international distributor.  Billabong International is being sued by its former Indonesian licensee, CV Bali Balance (CVBB), over the termination of its d...

Department store David Jones has appointed Philippa Stone as a non-executive director, effective Tuesday.  David Jones said Stone would stand for election as director at the company's annual general meeting (AGM) on December 3, 2010. Ston...

Tony Abbott is staunchly defending the coalition's new paid parental leave plan against business criticism that it is bad policy.  The Australian Industry Group, which represents the interests of 60,000 businesses employing 1.2 million staff, ...

Property developer Lend Lease has a appointed a former Leighton Holdings executive to its team.    Scott Charlton will begin in the newly created role of director of operations immediately and would be responsible for managing Lend Lease'...

Expectations for sales and profits for the June quarter are at their highest level for at least five years, which indicates the worst of the global financial crisis has long passed, a new survey finds.    A Dun & Bradstreet surve...

The Australian dollar opened slightly weaker following a quiet offshore session tinged with uncertainty about the Greek economic crisis.  At 0700 AEDT, the Australian dollar was $US0.9095/96, down from Monday's close of $US0.9108/11. Duri...