Latest news with #JaneKelly
West Australian
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- West Australian
Rebel, Supercheap Auto owner Super Retail Group warns of profit margin squeeze, cost blowout
Super Retail Group has warned shareholders of a profit margin squeeze and soaring costs, blaming subdued trading conditions, heavy discounting and an expensive overhaul of an ageing payroll system. The ASX-listed SRG is behind big box outlets Supercheap Auto, Rebel, BCF and Macpac. In an aftermarket announcement on Wednesday, the company disclosed group gross margins for the second half to date were tracking below the prior comparable period. This was 'broadly consistent' with the year-on-year decline recorded in the first half of the 2025 financial year, it said. The trading update sent shares 0.2 per cent lower to $13.37 just before 10am on Thursday. While group like-for-like sales growth is up 3.1 per cent since January, Super Retail warned retail trading conditions remained subdued, particularly for its New Zealand stores. Supercheap Auto sales fell 0.1 per cent for the second half to date amid heavy discounting in the auto category. Supercheap Auto is facing greater competition in the category with Wesfarmers-owned Bunnings' bigger push into the automotive sector. 'The team has focused on moving away from lower yielding promotional activity whilst maintaining competitiveness and managing costs in what remains a lower growth environment near term,' Super Retail said on Wednesday. Sales at Rebel — set to face competition with the entry of British sporting goods giant Sports Direct in Australia — rose 3.5 per cent as it experienced an acceleration in growth. This was despite a $5 million hit from disruptions caused by cyclone Alfred on the east coast. BCF was the star performer for Super Retail with a 9.1 per cent lift in sales. The retailer is also replacing its ageing payroll system and building a new HR management platform, while transitioning to a new distribution in Victoria. These initiatives were expected to push the retailer's unallocated costs to $42m this year, compared with $36m in 2024. SRG has been embroiled in allegations of an illicit affair between boss Anthony Heraghty and the company's former chief human resources officer Jane Kelly.
RTÉ News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Sky announce new series The Battle of the Irish Dancers
Hot on the heels of the Irish Dancing World Championships in Dublin this month, Sky has announced a brand-new series called The Battle of the Irish Dancers. The Sky Original show, coming later this year, follows a cast of dedicated Irish dancers and their teachers on the road to the Championships, spotlighting a dance form which requires the strength, endurance and agility of an Olympian. Airing on Sky Arts, the three-part series celebrates Irish dancing as a life-enhancing art form requiring the skill and discipline of a professional athlete. The Battle of the Irish Dancers will follow the dancers as they strive for excellence in the biggest competition of their careers and discover how a small island produced a pastime that became a global phenomenon, making its mark on Australia, America, Asia and Russia and finding its way to Broadway and the West End. The show is produced by Big Mountain Productions. Jane Kelly and Philip McGovern serve as executive producers, Muireann McGinty is the series producer and Edel O'Mahony is the series director. The Battle of the Irish Dancers airs later this year on Sky Arts and streaming service NOW.
