Today
Chemist Warehouse: A look inside the deal of 2023
This week on The Fin podcast, Carrie LaFrenz and James Thomson on the rise of Chemist Warehouse, its deal with Sigma and the biggest risk facing the new merged business.
Yesterday
KMD dives to lowest since 2020 after sales drop 12.5pc
The owner of Rip Curl and Kathmandu says orders from its wholesale customers have dried up, while sales of rainwear and puffer jackets were weak due to warmer weather in Australia.
- Carrie LaFrenz
This Month
Koko Black and Subway ‘gaming the system’ in penalty rate deals: union
Luxury chocolatier Koko Black and Subway franchisees have been accused of trying to shortchange hundreds of workers by using legal loopholes that erode minimum rates.
- David Marin-Guzman
- Opinion
- Opinion
RIP to fast and free shipping
The urgency around overhauling retail businesses to offer speedy delivery at no extra cost turned out to be an expensive reaction to a momentary trend.
- Leticia Miranda
- Exclusive
- BWX Limited
Foster Blake sold Go-To stake for $89m. She’s bought it back for a fraction of that
The former Young Rich Lister, along with her co-founder Paul Bates, have taken back control of the skincare brand from the failed BWX Group.
- Carrie LaFrenz
Psst. It’s OK to buy make-up and shampoo from the supermarket
Traditional beauty companies eschew mass markets but these Aussie brands are happily stocked on supermarket shelves.
- Lauren Sams
Koala Eco cleans up with $3m in Series A funding
The Australian company has gotten noticed in the US and will leverage that with new capital. “We are going at this market with everything we have,” said co-founder Paul Davidson.
- Lauren Sams
ACCC gives nod to Woolworths pets deal with asset sales in tow
The purchase price for the supermarket giant’s 55 per cent stake in the pet company is now expected to be $438 million, reduced from $586 million.
- Carrie LaFrenz
- Exclusive
- Japan
7-Eleven sticks with petrol as new owners pump up food offerings
Japanese retail conglomerate Seven & i says there are growth opportunities from merchandising as it expands the convenience store network.
- Michael Smith
Golden times for the used car market are over
The average time taken to sell a secondhand vehicle in Australia is at its highest level in a year, and values keep dropping.
- Simon Evans
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why Chemist Warehouse creates a quandary for fund managers
The structure of Chemist Warehouse’s deal with Sigma means fund managers who like the growth story face tough decisions on when and how to get a slice of the action.
- Updated
- James Thomson
- Updated
- Mergers & acquisitions
Chemist Warehouse’s 100-year plan to be the next Walgreens
Chemist Warehouse CEO Mario Verrocchi says the retailer could become the next Walgreens or Boots and expand rapidly overseas after becoming an $8.8 billion ASX-listed pharmacy giant.
- Updated
- Carrie LaFrenz
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The 100-year dream that powers Chemist Warehouse
The company is on the verge of achieving a 50-year dream with the $8.8 billion Sigma merger. It insists there’s plenty of growth to come.
- Updated
- James Thomson
Chemist Warehouse boss targets growth of ‘infinity and beyond’
Mario Verrocchi, one of the billionaire founders of the pharmacy chain, says international expansion will be a key focus for the company as it joins the ASX.
- Simon Evans
Merger boosts Sigma; Three fight to lead Qld; Five hard landing signs
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Chemist Warehouse deal will make Sigma stock a global attraction
The deal name, Project Orbit, says it all. Hats off to this sleepy wholesaler for rocketing into the large-cap universe and catching the eye of US giants.
- Anthony Macdonald
Brownes Dairy aims to dislodge Babybel’s iron grip in cheese snacks
The company, which has been owned by Chinese investors for the past six years, is on track to generate overall revenues of $245 million this year.
- Simon Evans
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
How Chemist Warehouse’s backdoor deal passes ASX pub test
How do you backdoor list a big company that is majority owned by two founders and their families and still have enough free float? Now, we have the answer.
- Anthony Macdonald
- Exclusive
- KPMG Australia
Retail sector to bounce back in 2024 faster than expected
The sector will be helped by higher population growth and moderating interest rates, says KPMG partner James Stewart.
- Carrie LaFrenz
Shiseido snaps up stake in Bondi grooming brand Patricks
Boutique corporate advisory Lempriere Wells was seeking to raise up to $10 million for the group, founded by Patrick Kidd and wife Aimee.
- Carrie LaFrenz
