Business stories of interest this week

Business stories from the past week, compiled by Jason Maywald:

  1. News.com.au: How big an impact will Amazon have on Australia?

Insiders believe online giant, Amazon, could launch as soon as November to cash in on the Christmas rush. Australia’s biggest retailers are worried, with predictions looming of a retail apocalypse if Amazon can repeat the same success it had in America.

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2. SMH.com.au: AECOM trials 12 weeks annual leave scheme for working parents

Engineering firm AECOM will being piloting a new program that gives employees 12 weeks annual leave, to be taken at the same time as the school holidays.

The new move is designed to help engineers with children better manage work and family.

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3. TheAustralian.com.au: Weak spending hits super retail

Supercheap Auto and Amart Sports owner Super Retail Group says soft consumer spending has dampened its sales growth.

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4. AFR.com.au: Telstra bets on aggregation in latest streaming device

Telstra has unveiled a new Telstra TV, the second series of its streaming puck, which connects to televisions and allows users to watch content via the internet.

The newest iteration uses Roku hardware and has the ability to stream 4K video and a television tuner, so users don’t need to switch between broadcast television and the Telstra TV, which is similar to a rival puck from Fetch.

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5. Dailytelegraph.com.au: Christmas shoppers are starting early to save time and money

If you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet, you’re a minority – according to research.

While many shoppers complain about festive season popping up too early, research by Beyond Bank Australia has found that 20 per cent start their Christmas shopping during the midyear sales and another 42 per cent start by the end of October.

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