Dean Blake

Dean Blake

Journalist

Dean Blake is a business journalist at Octomedia, working on Inside Retail.

Articles by this Expert

RFG boss admits support to franchisees needs to "basically double"
RFG boss admits support to franchisees needs to "basically double"
Retail Food Group’s new CEO Richard Hinson says the scandal-plagued franchise sector needs to “get ahead of the curve” on public sentiment amid an ongoing Senate inquiry into the effectiveness of the franchising code of conduct. View More
Domino's loses tech chief to burger giant
Domino's loses tech chief to burger giant
Domino’s Pizza’s CIO Wayne McMahon has left the business after more than seven years, moving on to become chief digital and technology officer at Hungry Jacks owner Competitive Foods Australia. View More
Godfreys pledges store support with turnaround campaign
Godfreys pledges store support with turnaround campaign
​Ailing vacuum retailer Godfreys has announced an aggressive campaign advertising major discounts as a part of its ‘turnaround campaign’. View More
EBOS pens deal with Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist franchises
EBOS pens deal with Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist franchises
EBOS Group will become the third-party distributor to more than 400 Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist stores across Australia. View More
Godfreys suspends stock trading
Godfreys suspends stock trading
​Trading of Godfreys stock will be suspended at the close of business Friday, 6th July, with the company officially exiting the ASX at the close of businesses the following Wednesday, 11th. View More
Retail staff buoyed by 3 per cent pay rise
Retail staff buoyed by 3 per cent pay rise
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of retail employers will give their staff a pay rise of less than 3 per cent in their next review and 10 per cent will not increase salaries at all, according to the 2018-19 Hays Salary Guide. View More
API completes first stage of Clearskincare Clinics acquisition
API completes first stage of Clearskincare Clinics acquisition
Australian Pharmaceuticals Industries Limited (API) has announced completion of the first stage of its $127.4 million acquisition of Clearskincare Clinics. View More
Roselands' $90m facelift sees 70 new retailers
Roselands' $90m facelift sees 70 new retailers
Roselands Shopping Centre in suburban Sydney will receive a $90 million transformation care of co-owner Vicinity Centres, with construction commencing this month. View More
Retail set to spike with Father’s day
Retail set to spike with Father’s day
Father’s Day shopping is likely to drive a 9 per cent increase in retail spend in the week leading up to the event, according to data from retail software firm Vend. View More
Next generation of retail opens in WA
Next generation of retail opens in WA
Westfield Carousel opened its doors last week after a $350 million redevelopment to bring about the “next generation of retail in Western Australia.” View More
Domino’s warned by FWO for underpayment issues
Domino’s warned by FWO for underpayment issues
The Fair Work Ombudsman has put Domino’s Pizza Enterprises on notice and highlighted systemic issues in the network after finding breaches of workplace law across 19 stores. View More
Retail lagging behind, says NAB chief economist
Retail lagging behind, says NAB chief economist
Business conditions improved through the month of August, though the retail industry continues to lag behind, according to NAB’s monthly business survey for the month of August. View More
APAC expansion targeted by retailers
APAC expansion targeted by retailers
Retailers across the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly seeing international expansion as a viable business strategy, accounting for nearly one-third (30 per cent) of new entrants into the region compared to 17 per cent four years ago, according to a report by property-firm CBRE. View More
Senate calls for redefinition of gig-economy workers
Senate calls for redefinition of gig-economy workers
The government needs to prepare a long-term plan to prepare the Australian workforce for coming technological changes, as well as the rise of non-standard employment – also known as the gig economy – the Department of the Senate advised yesterday. View More
50 new Tacos Bells planned for Australia
50 new Tacos Bells planned for Australia
Collins Foods Limited on Thursday revealed plans to open more than 50 new Taco Bell restaurants across multiple states in Australia over the next three years. View More
Consumer sentiment up as spending confidence returns
Consumer sentiment up as spending confidence returns
Consumer sentiment has seemingly stabilised following a two-month fall caused by a Liberal party leadership spill, mortgage rate increases, declining house prices and rising petrol prices weighing on the Australian public. View More
ACCC backs harsher penalties in franchise sector
ACCC backs harsher penalties in franchise sector
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has struck out at the franchising sector, calling for a strengthened Franchising Code of Conduct, including increasing penalties and encouraging more meaningful disclosure of information, to protect franchisees. View More
Inside the WorkPac ruling's widespread implications
Inside the WorkPac ruling's widespread implications
A recent Federal Court decision regarding the rights of casual workers in the mining industry could have implications for the retail sector, according to the National Retail Association, which says it opens a “can of worms”. View More
Spending slows in September
Spending slows in September
Spending by Australian consumers rose just 0.2 per cent in September, the weakest monthly increase in 16 months. View More
States outpace average retail spending growth
States outpace average retail spending growth
Victoria has taken top billing in CommSec’s quarterly State of the States report due to strong construction activity and the lowest rate of joblessness in a decade. View More
Retail confidence high in lead-up to Christmas
Retail confidence high in lead-up to Christmas
Retail turnover rose 0.2 per cent in September 2018, following a 0.3 per cent increase in August, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. View More
Pandora resets strategy after revenue drop
Pandora resets strategy after revenue drop
Jewellery retailer Pandora has unveiled an initiative that it hopes will reignite sustainable revenue growth, Programme Now, after group revenue dropped 3 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. View More
Domino’s slow start to FY19
Domino’s slow start to FY19
Domino’s Pizza Enterprises saw group same store sales increase 2.91 per cent in the first 17 weeks of FY19, compared to an increase of 5.03 per cent during the same period last year. View More
Australians to spend $51b this Christmas
Australians to spend $51b this Christmas
Australians will spend more than $51b across retail stores over the Christmas trading period, a 2.9 per cent increase over the previous year, according to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan. View More
CouriersPlease goes on-demand for Christmas
CouriersPlease goes on-demand for Christmas
Heading into the busiest retail period of the year, Australian delivery facilitators are teaming up to ensure Christmas orders are finding their way to the right person – however they want to receive it. View More
Steven Lowy to leave Scentre Group
Steven Lowy to leave Scentre Group
Scentre Group director Steven Lowy has announced his intention to retire from the board of the property group in April 2019. View More
Pharmacy chain trials artificial intelligence
Pharmacy chain trials artificial intelligence
Chemist Warehouse is piloting an artificial intelligence solution, Insite AI, to support its buying and planning decision-making in specific product categories: vitamins and non-prescription medicines. View More
45 new KFCs planned for Collins Foods
45 new KFCs planned for Collins Foods
Positive results from Collins Foods Limited (Collins Foods), the franchisor behind KFC Australia and Taco Bell Australia has bolstered the company’s plans to ramp up expansion in 2019. View More
Businesses report improved customer loyalty through use of AI
Businesses report improved customer loyalty through use of AI
Eighty-four per cent of surveyed businesses in the APAC region believe use of artificial intelligence has customers feeling closer to them due to efforts to improve customer service, according to a report by MIT. View More
Pandora announces new managing director of ANZ
Pandora announces new managing director of ANZ
Jewellery retailer Pandora has announced the appointment of Phil McNutt as the brand’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand. View More
Consumer confidence, spending up in December
Consumer confidence, spending up in December
Economy-wide spending grew 0.4 per cent from November to December 2018, driven by the purchase of “little luxuries”, according to the latest Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator, which provides a broader and more timely picture of spending compared to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ monthly retail spending report. View More
December slump has retailers on high alert
December slump has retailers on high alert
Monthly retail figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics have shown a somewhat dismal December trading period performance, having fallen 0.4 per cent to $27 billion, compared to the 0.5 per cent increase seen in November. View More
Retail spend bounces back in January
Retail spend bounces back in January
Spending in retail stores was up 3 per cent in January compared to a year ago, marking one of the biggest annual gains in the Australian economy, according to the Commonwealth Bank’s latest Business Sales Indicator (BSI). View More
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