PM weighs in on centres debate
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says shopping centre managers are well within their rights to tell politicians where to go if they pester shoppers.
And he says politicians should show managers the courtesy of checking first before they roll up.
Rudd was responding to comments by the head of the Shopping Centre Council of Australia, who said centre managers had an obligation to protect patrons from interference and harassment.
"Look (it's a) free country, they've got their responsibilities to their shop owners," Rudd told the DMG radio network in Adelaide on Wednesday, adding it was an issue for individual shopping centres to decide.
"But our job as elected members of parliament, Labor and Liberal, is to communicate with the voting public.
"My understanding in the past is if you don't have permission to enter these venues you don't without prior approval."
Former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull was left red-faced last year when a Perth shopping centre asked him to stop pestering its customers.
His plan to press the flesh with voters at the city's Karrinyup Shopping Centre was shut down after centre management said he failed to seek permission.
Eight months on there's a risk of shopping centres becoming a total no-go zone for politicians.
Shopping Centre Council of Australia's executive director Milton Cockburn has told News Limited newspapers that managers have to ensure patrons can visit centres without being hounded.
"Politicians don't understand that shopping centres don't exist for their benefit," he said.
But the Retailer's Association has dismissed any talk of a ban as rubbish.
"I know many small business owners within a shopping centre would like to hear more from candidates about what they stand for," the association's national executive director Scott Driscoll said in a statement.
"So do many mums with kids who just don't have other chances to pose the tough questions to those chasing their vote."
Driscoll said the The Shopping Centre Council needed to "harden up".
"Play a small role in the community political process and stop whinging about the half an hour it might take them to assist in an Australian political tradition."
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said politicians tried not to cause problems at shopping centres.
"You've got to make arrangements with shopping centre owners, but our aim is not to disrupt, our aim is to have a chat with people and people are normally pretty keen to have a chat," she told the Nine Network.
"Australians are very good at making sure their politicians know exactly what's on their mind."
by
AAP
on January 27, 2010
What Australians take
for granted is obviously
not the case in the rest
of the world. The state
of Missouri in the USA
is introducing the
following legislation.
Legislation introduced
in Missouri would impose
new legal requirements
on persons selling dogs
and cats, including
disclosure and reporting
requirements. Senate
Bill 690 would also
create a statutory
warranty, meaning that
buyers of dogs and cats
would be entitled to
recover a refund or
other compensation from
the pet dealer if the
animal becomes ill or
dies from a condition
that existed at the time
the animal was delivered
to the buyer. A “pet
dealer” as defined by
this bill encompasses
any person, business or
other entity (including
breeders) that sells
more than 20 dogs or
cats, or three litters,
in a 12-month period.
The definition does not
include animal control
agencies, humane
societies or similar
non-profit organizations.
Provisions of SB 690 are
similar to those found
in warranty statutes in
many other states, with
some distinctions. One
major difference,
however, is that many
pet warranty laws apply
only to the retail sale
of animals. But this
bill extends to breeders
as well (so long as they
sell the required number
of dogs or cats).
The bill requires that
any dog or cat must be
examined by a
veterinarian no more
than 30 days prior to
sale and that the buyer
be given a written
statement at time of
sale containing the
following information:
• If known, the breed
and date of birth for
the dog or cat.
• The sex and colour of
the dog or cat.
• The breeder’s name and
address or, if not
known, the name and
address of whomever the
pet dealer acquired the
animal from.
• If acquired from a
USDA licensed source,
the identifying number.
• Registration
information, if the
animal is being sold as
registrable.
• A record of all
inoculations and worming
treatments received by
the animal, as well as
any veterinarian
diagnosis, treatment or
medication received
while the animal was in
the pet dealer’s
possession.
All this is common sense
stuff except for
supplying your
customer with the name
and address of who you
purchased the animal
from. I don’t see any
value in
disclosing that to the
customer. It is also
interesting that
the laws don't apply to
shelters and the like,
doesn't
really create a level
playing field.
HILLS HAS
GROWTH IN
AUSTRALIA
WHILE
DROPPING IN
USA, JAPAN
AND RUSSIA
The American
pet food
manufacturer
Hill’s Pet
Nutrition,
part of the
Colgate
Palmolive
Company,
experienced
a slight
decline in
sales in
2009. The
company’s
sales
totalled
$US2.132m
compared
with
$US2.148m in
the previous
year.
Sales fell
from $US574m
to $US565m
in the
fourth
quarter,
with unit
volume
decreasing
by as much
as 8.5 per
cent in the
last three
months of
the year.
Sales were
down in the
USA, Japan
and Russia,
while they
grew in
Germany,
Australia
and Mexico.
THE SUMMER ISSUE OF PET
INDUSTRY NEWS IS NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE -THE PRINTED COPIES HAVE BEEN
MAILED OUT
|
Interzoo 2010: Keep an eye on the exhibition
targets!
Interview with
Hans-Jochen Büngener, Chairman of the
Interzoo Exhibition Committee
Interzoo from 13–16 May 2010 is this year’s
most important event for the international
pet industry. Some 1,400 exhibitors are
expected in Nürnberg, where trends are set
and leading products are shown. Just booking
a stand, however, is no guarantee for
successful exhibiting. Hans-Jochen Büngener,
Chairman of the Interzoo Exhibition
Committee, explains why defining targets for
the exhibition is a key requirement for
success.
What
targets can exhibitors set?
Hans-Jochen
Büngener: Presenting products is not an
exhibition target, but the target could be
to test the response to new products and
sound out export prospects or cooperation
possibilities and so optimize accurate
product launches. Exhibitors can check how
certain trends, services and price
structures are accepted. Preparing the
ground for contacts with a large number of
potential customers is naturally also a
special advantage of exhibitions.
If specific targets are set, for example,
regarding the number of contacts with
existing, new and potential customers,
the success of exhibiting can be measured.
When defining targets for the exhibition,
exhibitors should also take into account the
expectations of visitors at Interzoo.
What are the targets of the visitors at
Interzoo?
Hans-Jochen
Büngener: At the last Interzoo in 2008,
60 per cent of the specialists came to
Nürnberg to update on new products, 47 per
cent wanted to cultivate business contacts
and 45 per cent wanted to pave the way for
new contacts. 42 per cent visited Interzoo
to get an overview of the market. Other
reasons for visiting the exhibition were
exchanging views, training, observing the
competition or preparing for investment and
purchases. Only 21 per cent came
specifically to sign contracts. This means
exhibitors should work more towards
establishing good, long-term contacts to
ensure lucrative follow-up business. 86 per
cent of the exhibitors in 2008 expected
noticeable follow-up business from the
contacts made at the exhibition. Exhibitors
could also consider measures to persuade
visitors to buy at the exhibition after all.
The chances of this are good, as 95 per cent
of Interzoo visitors are involved in
procurement decisions in their companies.
So
Interzoo visitors look primarily for new
products. This means the exhibition
programme is a particularly important aspect
of planning the exhibition. What must be
considered in this plan?
Hans-Jochen Büngener:
The exhibits are usually chosen in line with
the marketing and exhibition targets. It is
mostly not advisable to show the whole
product spectrum, but selected, vividly
presented solutions. New products and
innovations that are better than the
competition should certainly be brought
along. The latest trends should also be
included: current examples are
nanotechnology, crustaceans
in the aquaria segment
or wellness and fitness. The innovative
aspects of the product can be explained on
text boards or displays, and technical
details can be shown and explained in depth
in films or brochures. The practical
demonstration of products with pets still
attracts the most attention, but pet
presentations must be registered in good
time and strictly comply with the German
animal welfare regulations. The list of
exhibits determines the space required, the
stand design and the communication measures.
What else must exhibitors consider when
planning their stand?
Hans-Jochen
Büngener: The stand personnel should
know the targets for the exhibition and be
trained in customer contact. Many companies
only prepare their employees for answering
questions on products and product
characteristics, but stand visitors expect
the stand staff to give them a friendly
reception, take time for them, listen to
them and respond to their needs. Contacts
made at the exhibition should be recorded,
either in digital form or on contact forms.
Exhibitors should preferably specify before
the exhibition exactly what measures are to
be taken for following up contacts, the time
limit for such action and who is
responsible, for example, Sales or Field
Service. If
orders, offers and information
material are rapidly processed and mailed
after the exhibition, the exhibitor shows
his customers that the attractive
presentation at the exhibition is backed by
a reliable business partner.
The March issue
of
Pet Industry News
will be distributed at Interzoo 2010 and is offering Australian
Exhibitors a special
advertising rate.
For more
information please contact
Email
bobcroucher@petnews.com.au
Pet
Industry
News is
celebrating
it's 20th
Year
Download our
"new" Media
Kit
Pet Trade Show coming up in 2010
|
|
