This was the best-performing Australian stock this year

Listed electronics retailer Kogan.com was the best-performing stock on the ASX All Ordinaries index in 2017, with an annual gain of more than 300 per cent.

'We worked like slaves and no one cared': 7-Eleven worker

• COMMENT

When 7-Eleven chairman Michael Smith bragged about the lengths the franchise giant had taken to compensate thousands of underpaid foreign workers, he failed to impress underpaid workers Manish and Anshu Mehra.

'Tis the season for desktop shopping

A shift to online shopping has seen Australia Post process a record volume of parcel deliveries this week.

Hole in Donut King owner's earnings could get bigger, analysts warn

The franchisor of the Donut King, Gloria Jean's and Brumby's chains could suffer an even deeper fall in earnings, analysts predict.  

Myer and Ten: 2017's two epic corporate battles

• COMMENT

Myer versus Solomon Lew still has a way to run. CBS versus Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon for control of Ten Network had the strangest outcome.

Donut King's sharemarket bloodbath as investors bail

• COMMENT

When a company falls more than 55 per cent in 10 days, it speaks volumes about its credibility.

Retail Food Group shares plunge 25% on profit downgrade

The cafe and bakery giant says negative media coverage is making it harder to attract new franchisees or hold onto existing store owners.

'It's like 7-Eleven': underpayment rife at franchise giant

There are claims of rampant underpayment at RFG Group's stable of franchise brands including Gloria Jeans, Crust Pizza, Donut King and Michel's Patisserie.

Apple shoppers go cold on the iPhone X, analyst says

Apple customers seem to be opting for cheaper models of the iPhone, analyst research shows, suggesting that the company failed to cram enough new technologies into the iPhone X to justify the $1,579 price tag.

'Enough is enough': Why Sir Frank Lowy walked away from Westfield

After 57 years as Australia's shopping centre czar, Sir Frank Lowy has opened up about the reasons he is walking away.

BP and Woolworths vow to fight to save $1.8 billion servo sale

BP and Woolworths will fight to keep their $1.8 billion service station sale alive, accusing the ACCC of botching its assessment of the fuel market.

Myer reveals horror start to Christmas sales

Myer says its sales in the first two weeks of December were down 5 per cent on last year. 

Australia's biggest stores are in for jingle hell this Christmas

The weakest run-up to the Christmas sales period in four years and the absence of a "killer gift" could make for an ugly festive season for retailers.

Have $10,000 to burn? Splash out on Star Wars toys

What to do with that reverence for a galaxy far, far away? Well, spend, of course. Now under the auspices of Disney, the latest push for Star War toys is unparalleled.

Frank Lowy unleashes a one man Santa bounce on ASX

Frank Lowy's massive deal will send billions looking for a home.

Retail Food Group's shares plunge to five-year low

Retail Food Group's shares plunged more than 27 per cent hitting a five year low after a Fairfax Media investigation revealed hundreds of Donut King, Brumby's and Gloria Jeans stores were going to the wall as a result of a brutal franchise model.

The rise of the donut king

• UPDATED

Tony Alford first shot to international attention in 1998 over his role in the messy business affairs of Michael Hutchence.

'Don't speak out': franchise giant RFG warns against complaining publicly

Retail Food Group, the franchisor of iconic brands including Brumby's, Donut King and Gloria Jean's, has issued a warning to store owners not to air their complaints in public or risk breaching of their franchise agreement.

Cup of sorrow: the brutal reality of Australia's franchise king

• INVESTIGATION

Julia Banks will never forget the panic attacks. She still finds herself waking up in the middle of the night, heart pounding and mind racing from stress.

Retailers, don't be relieved: Amazon's second act is yet to come

Amazon won't kill Christmas this year for investors in retail stocks, but 2018 could be very different.

Amazon's local launch was 'weirdly underwhelming'

James Hall was perched at his 'home theatre personal computer' two Thursdays ago, where he repeatedly hit the refresh button on the Amazon Australian site in anticipation of its suspected launch.

Does Amazon Australia spell the end of eBay?

• COMMENT

One e-tailer isn't joining in the Amazon party.

Happy day for retailers as Amazon fails to live up to the hype

Australian retailers have breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed a healthy bump to their share prices after their worst fears about Amazon outgunning them on price and service failed to eventuate.

The strangest things for sale on Amazon Australia

With millions of products on the local Amazon site, you'd better believe there are some strange items for sale.

Amazon launches with 'millions' of products, hopes to win consumers' trust

Amazon will start taking orders and shipping products from its warehouse in Melbourne's east on Tuesday.

Metcash soars to three-year high despite grocery pain

Wholesaler Metcash has suffered another half of falling sales at its IGA supermarket network but managed to grow profit through a cost-cutting program and the integration of the Home Timber and Hardware chain.

Oroton collapse 'only the tip of the iceberg', says top retailer

The collapse of handbag maker Oroton is just the start of a fresh round of Australian retail failures, and sky-high rents are partly to blame, according to the chiefs of the Premier Investments conglomerate.

Three reasons why Oroton failed as a fashion brand

As 'accessible luxury' became part of the fashion industry, the bag label got left behind.

Godfreys shares plunge 22% as earnings forecast cut

Shares in vacuum cleaner merchant Godfreys have plunged to a record low after the company cut its earnings forecast due to weaker than expected sales and delays in its franchise rollout.