It’s the sort of race that could benefit consumers, with expectations that prices will fall and Priceline services will expand if a deal proceeds.

ACCC chair Rod Sims says Australia’s outdated merger laws allow corporate behemoths to scoop up their competitors.

In-N-Out must use its local trademark at least once every three years to prevent other businesses from adopting its brand in Australia.

Outdoor retail chain Kathmandu says it will take a $13 million hit from the latest COVID-19 lockdowns, with 123 stores across Australia forced to close over the past month.

The data — leaked by an anonymous source — is American, but this kind of thing happens in Australia too, UNSW associate professor Ann Kayis-Kumar explained.

The Noni-B and Rivers owner must also refund customers who bought its hand sanitiser and face masks during 2020, under an agreement signed with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Premier Investments has bowed to public pressure and promised to pay back $15.6 million worth of JobKeeper payments it received during the pandemic last year.

The e-commerce boom has caused big names like Myer to pivot to digital as annual online sales topped $50 billion.

Retail sales sank 1.1% in February in a weaker-than-expected result, with consumers spending less following post-pandemic splurging.

Independent senator and Reason Party leader Fiona Patten says Crown’s $210 million JobKeeper bill should be scrutinised in Victoria’s wide-ranging royal commission.