The Seattle-based chain, facing a US consumer slowdown, higher food costs and more competition, had said this month it would close 600 unprofitable outlets in the United States but would continue its expansion in international markets.

Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz portrayed the Australian move as a refocus of operations, not a retreat.

“We are well into the implementation phase of transforming Starbucks and we believe this difficult, yet necessary, decision to close stores in Australia will help support the continued growth of our international business,” he said in a statement.

Starbucks first opened in Australia in 2000 as part of a rapid global expansion, but faced a highly competitive market with a well-entrenched coffee culture in the major cities.

The company said it would now refocus its operations on the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Gourmet coffee shops are already a common feature in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two biggest cities, where a cosmopolitan cafe culture has thrived since postwar Italian immigration introduced espresso to the nation in the 1950s.

Three Indian supermarket chains, SPAR, Hypercity and Nature’s Basket, and Indian import and distribution company Epicure Foods, have spent 10 days in Melbourne, Tasmania and Sydney to source quality Australian products for their fast-growing stores.

Cookies, confectionery, cereals, canned vegetables, juices and other products from 22 Australian companies are already on SPAR’s shelves in Bangalore.

“Many Indians are travelling the world and looking for international brands back home. About 35 to 40 percent of snack foods are imported,” SPAR Max Hypermarket India’s business manager Satish S V told media.

SPAR expects to import up to A$1 million (US$ 863,000 or Rs 37 million) worth of Australian products over the next year.

“Each of SPAR’s new stores will have two permanent gondola ends continually selling Australian products,” New South Wales (NSW) Minister for Primary Industries, Energy and Mineral Resources Ian McDonald said.

The supermarket officials have met over 45 Australian companies and experienced first hand what Australia has to offer.

“There is a general understanding in India that Australian food is clean, green and healthy,” Australian food consolidator Bemco Australia managing director Helen Pilakis told IANS.

The visit, organised by Bemco with support from the NSW Department of State and Regional Development (DSRD), follows a successful “Taste Australia” promotion held in Bangalore last November that introduced Indian consumers to more than 120 new food and beverage products from 22 Australian companies.

Most Australian products are targeted at India’s growing middle class, with huge disposable incomes, looking for ready and convenience driven products.

“Revolutionised retail with more shelf space is opening a new market where Indian customers are constantly looking for something new,” says SPAR’s senior category manager Nanda Kishore.

“At the moment, Australian dairy products can’t be imported into India, but buyers are hoping things will change by the year-end. We are looking at options for importing dairy products,” Kishore added.

Many Australian companies are producing food targeted at people with special dietary needs. Real Foods feels there is a market in India for its gluten-free rice cakes.

“Indians today are looking for gluten-free products and have a much broader flavour palate. Our expertise is in making six varieties of corn thins, thinner than normal rice cakes, which can be eaten as a snack, replacing a sandwich, or as a meal,” the company’s market coordinator, Charlotte Marbus, told media.

Another Australian company, Sweet William’s (William’s) makes vegan, gluten and nut-free, halal, kosher and sugar free chocolates.

“With high incidence of diabetes in India, people are looking for sugar-free chocolate bars. However, the prohibitive aspect of our product is the 60 percent customs duty on chocolates,” the company’s marketing and sales manager, Carol O’Halloran, told media.

Godrej-owned Nature’s Basket has already placed an order for salad dressings and sauces, cereals, honey, olive oils, biscuits and crackers.

“The products should be on our shelves by Diwali. Many of these products would be ideal for gift hampers over the festive season”, the company’s operations manager Sudhir Kadav told media.

“There is a wide range of cuisine available in Australia and we have noticed that retailers can ask manufacturers for specific products tailored to their specific markets”, Kadav added.

Supermarkets are looking at products that cater largely to the much travelled Indian clientele, non-resident Indians and the large number of expatriate Indians.

Mumbai-based HyperCity’s category managers for ready, gourmet and instant foods, Shweta Mohile and Y V Rao, said their company was looking at unique products, Australian Leatherwood honey, Macademia nuts, shortbreads, which can capture a niche market.

As Australia becomes more aggressive in its exports to India and the Indian retail market grows, Epicure Frozen Foods and Beverages managing director Sanjay Tandon and CEO (Operations) Murali Shankar said in the coming years, Australian products would be represented far more in their product range.

Costco, which will charge as much $60 in annual membership fees to Australian customers, will open its Melbourne outlet Aug. 17 with a 14,000 square meter (151,000 square feet) store, almost three times the size of typical supermarkets.

”We operate with low margins and with our membership fees, we can sustain low margins,” Australian Managing Director Patrick Noone said in an interview. ”Lower prices are important because people shop with us to get value.”

The Melbourne outlet, located in Docklands on the fringe of the central business district, will be followed by a store in Sydney’s western suburbs before Costco looks at more openings in the nation of almost 22 million. The Washington-based retailer enters a market where Woolworths and Wesfarmers’ Coles unit control almost three-quarters of retail grocery sales.

”We’ll have to see a competitive response from Coles and
Woolworths,” said Saxon Nicholls, at Herschel Asset Management in Melbourne. ”The Australian retailers already have substantial scale in the market and it will depend on Costco getting its own scale in Australia.”

Fundamental difference

Costco’s impact on rivals may extend beyond any market share it wins, with the company’s practice of pricing goods as much as 15 per cent below rivals likely to influence perceptions of value, according to analysts at Macquarie Group.

”Membership fees allow Costco to operate at low margins and are a fundamental difference in the business model,” Macquarie said in a July 7 note to clients. ”All other retailers of like products could be forced to price within these bounds depending on consumer response to Costco.”

Noone, an Australian who has worked for Costco for two decades, said the size of the Australian network will depend on the success of the first two outlets, with the company typically targeting a ratio of one store per 500,000 people.

”It all depends on how well we do what we say we are going to in Australia,” Noone said. ”When I was in Canada we started building warehouses to that ratio but when I left our brand name was such that we could build to 200,000 or 300,000 people and have a successful store.”

Vegemite, not peanut butter

The Australian outlets will carry about 3,800 product lines, compared with 27,000 in some Coles outlets, with some variation for local tastes. Instead of bulk packages of peanut butter popular in the US, Costco may stock items such as large sizes of Vegemite.

While both Coles and Woolworths trial hardwood floors, redesigned fresh produce sections and new shelving in their supermarkets, Costco maintains its warehouse design with concrete floors, exposed light fittings and inventory stacked on wooden pallets.

The Australian unit has no plans to sell coffins, as some of its US outlets do, although Noone expects the product range to evolve as Costco gains acceptance from consumers.

”If we can get good volume we will stock it and sell it,” Noone said. ”We look at areas we can show great value and that is why we sell diamonds and liquor and candy and all the other things.”

Costco, which will charge as much $60 in annual membership fees to Australian customers, will open its Melbourne outlet Aug. 17 with a 14,000 square meter (151,000 square feet) store, almost three times the size of typical supermarkets.

”We operate with low margins and with our membership fees, we can sustain low margins,” Australian Managing Director Patrick Noone said in an interview. ”Lower prices are important because people shop with us to get value.”

The Melbourne outlet, located in Docklands on the fringe of the central business district, will be followed by a store in Sydney’s western suburbs before Costco looks at more openings in the nation of almost 22 million. The Washington-based retailer enters a market where Woolworths and Wesfarmers’ Coles unit control almost three-quarters of retail grocery sales.

”We’ll have to see a competitive response from Coles and
Woolworths,” said Saxon Nicholls, at Herschel Asset Management in Melbourne. ”The Australian retailers already have substantial scale in the market and it will depend on Costco getting its own scale in Australia.”

Fundamental difference

Costco’s impact on rivals may extend beyond any market share it wins, with the company’s practice of pricing goods as much as 15 per cent below rivals likely to influence perceptions of value, according to analysts at Macquarie Group.

”Membership fees allow Costco to operate at low margins and are a fundamental difference in the business model,” Macquarie said in a July 7 note to clients. ”All other retailers of like products could be forced to price within these bounds depending on consumer response to Costco.”

Noone, an Australian who has worked for Costco for two decades, said the size of the Australian network will depend on the success of the first two outlets, with the company typically targeting a ratio of one store per 500,000 people.

”It all depends on how well we do what we say we are going to in Australia,” Noone said. ”When I was in Canada we started building warehouses to that ratio but when I left our brand name was such that we could build to 200,000 or 300,000 people and have a successful store.”

Vegemite, not peanut butter

The Australian outlets will carry about 3,800 product lines, compared with 27,000 in some Coles outlets, with some variation for local tastes. Instead of bulk packages of peanut butter popular in the US, Costco may stock items such as large sizes of Vegemite.

While both Coles and Woolworths trial hardwood floors, redesigned fresh produce sections and new shelving in their supermarkets, Costco maintains its warehouse design with concrete floors, exposed light fittings and inventory stacked on wooden pallets.

The Australian unit has no plans to sell coffins, as some of its US outlets do, although Noone expects the product range to evolve as Costco gains acceptance from consumers.

”If we can get good volume we will stock it and sell it,” Noone said. ”We look at areas we can show great value and that is why we sell diamonds and liquor and candy and all the other things.”

Mobil currently has a long term agreement to supply the fuel for the service stations 7-Eleven acquired from us last year. The remainder of 7-Eleven’s network is currently supplied under an agreement with another fuel supplier which concludes at the end of 2011. Earlier this year 7-Eleven started to consider their options for future supply and invited Mobil to tender for this part of their business also. Mobil has been successful in what proved to be a very competitive tender process.

The new agreement with 7-Eleven will significantly increase Mobil’s wholesale fuel sales in Australia. It will have flow-on benefits for our Altona refinery and distribution terminals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and demonstrates that Mobil continues to be a vigorous competitor in the Australian wholesale fuel market.

Mobil looks forward to building a strong alliance with 7-Eleven over time which will provide the opportunity for further business growth for both parties.