Insights

Retail boss Gerry Harvey says the government should abolish the GST exemption on imported goods, adding his voice to a chorus of retailers rallying against the tax-free threshold. His comment comes ahead of a meeting between state and federal treasurers on Wednesday to consider their options on the issue and assess a report from the Commonwealth Treasury.

Far from flinching in the face of one of the biggest competitive onslaughts in Myer's 113-year history, the boss of the nation's biggest department store, Bernie Brookes, is ready for battle as Swedish retail giant H&M prepares to open next door.

In the world of mergers and acquisitions there are deals that go easy and deals that go hard, and the amount of dollars involved is not a decisive factor, as the three-pronged battle for control of Warrnambool Cheese & Butter shows.

Beach Energy managing director Reg Nelson has predicted a sustained spike in natural gas prices in the eastern states lasting as long as a decade due to the "supply crunch" affecting the market.

Gaming machine maker Aristocrat Leisure expects to launch a product for smartphones and tablets within the next 12 months.

Murray Goulburn boss Gary Helou does not believe Lion's 10 per cent holding in Warrnambool Cheese & Butter will be a roadblock in the milk co-operative's fight to control the rival dairy processor.

Incoming directors of Dart Energy have begun a detailed review of the company's assets after a change of board control. The Soul Pattinson-backed New Hope Corp succeeded in forcing a board spill at the coal seam gas explorer.

Building products group Brickworks avoided a first strike against its remuneration report by less than a percentage point on Tuesday.

The sharemarket closed flat with gains in bank stocks - which rose after international ratings agency Moody's endorsed Australian banks - offset by falls in big mining stocks.

Australian markets are braced for an important quarterly reading on corporate investment on Thursday that could help reveal just how fast the mining boom is cooling, and whether other business sectors are stepping up to fill the gap.

Sales

Streamlined design combines with the latest technology, writes Stephen Crafti.

The Art Series Hotel Group is expanding its national and regional footprint with a new hotel in Adelaide and a smaller "studio" hotel in Bendigo.

A Queensland syndicate has snapped up Virgin Active's Bourke Street fitness premises in Melbourne for $20 million.

Retail landlords are facing bleak prospects ahead as weak retail sales bite into demand for space and put pressure on rents, lease conditions and vacancy rates.

The rush into self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) continues to gain pace. The sector already makes up about a third of retirement savings with about one million members.