In The News

Revenue from the Middle Eastern operations helped BurgerFuel post its maiden annual profit in 2011. In the 12 months to March 31 last year the company reported total sales of $16.7 million from its stores in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq.

Although Mason will soon move to the US to spearhead the company's launch there, he says there's plenty of scope for continued growth in the Middle East. "We see a lot of potential in the more fringe markets that we're in or going into." Mason says Iraq has enormous potential, despite sectarian attacks and a resurgent al-Qaeda presence. BurgerFuel operates only one store in Sulaymaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, but the company's Iraqi franchisee is scoping out possible sites in Baghdad.

Libya, another politically volatile country that should get its first BurgerFuel store this year, is seen as a lucrative opportunity by the New Zealand brand. And the holiest city in Islam - Saudi Arabia's Mecca - might get a BurgerFuel store in the near future.

Restaurant Brands has posted a net profit of $18.9 million in the year to February 24, up 6.8 per cent on the previous year.

Group revenue for the fast-food retailer was up $17.6m (5.6 per cent) to $330.4m, boosted by growth from KFC (up 1.9 per cent) and the rollout of the Carl's Jr brand.

Strong performances by Pizza Hut and Starbucks Coffee, as well as positive earnings from Carl's Jr, offset slightly reduced KFC margins.

Mr Morton was not a supplier to Countdown himself. "But I've definitely had comments from suppliers where that has been brought up to me, that they had pressure put on them.''

There was "a culture of bullying within the whole organisation'', Mr Morton said.

The Mad Butcher got "smashed with lawyers' letters'' and complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority when the company engaged in comparative advertising claiming its products were cheaper.

"They come down like a sledgehammer with lawyers letters,'' he said.

"They're being bullies because they believe that they're big and they're powerful, they can send us all these letters, they have lawyers on staff, they have some of the biggest law firms in New Zealand working for them, and they think they can tie you up with that litigation.

"I'm trying to stand up for the little guys here of New Zealand, and say, 'Listen New Zealanders, you should support the little guys here in New Zealand.'''

Porteous said Onion would only lend to G.J. Gardner clients initially and might eventually move into insurance. "Onion's key purpose is to make buying or building a new home easy by providing skilled specialists in finance and insurance with extensive knowledge of the housing market and home building sector," he said.

The lending issue created obstacles for many, he said, and Onion could also provide funds for buyers of existing houses which new house-builders needed to quit before they could start their construction project.

Onion was sourcing its funds from banks including ASB and Westpac.

The initiative for young entrepreneurs was started by Hibiscus Coast parents to teach children about business and how to sell products and services. But the sale of baked goods was stopped by environmental health late last year when a member of the public complained to the Auckland Council that some children were selling home baking. That resulted in about 20 of 32 stalls closing, causing BizKids to struggle.

BizKids father Brent Robinson and The Plaza shopping mall manager Anne Murphy took the council Regulatory and Bylaws Committee to task on Wednesday. They presented a petition signed by 800 people asking for an exemption under the Auckland Council Food Safety Bylaw 2013.

BizKids is now able to sell food as long as it has been prepared in a registered kitchen, Mr Robinson says.

The world's biggest hamburger chain said today that sales fell 1.4 per cent at established US locations. It blamed the harsh winter weather, but conceded that "challenging industry dynamics" also played a role. Globally, McDonald's said sales declined 0.3 per cent at locations open at least 13 months in February. It warned that its muted performance so far this year could hurt first-quarter profit margins.

In the region encompassing the Middle East, Africa and Asia, sales declined 2.6 per cent. The company cited weakness in Japan and Australia, as well as a shift in the timing of the Chinese New Year.

Executives at McDonald's, based in Illinois, acknowledge Americans' changing demands when it comes to fast food.

Being in the right is no protection against a programme which, as I have argued before, acts as a court but has none of the protections that would apply to an accused person in the real justice system. Fair Go reporters assume the roles of prosecutor, judge and jury within a mock trial system in which the accused has no representation and no real opportunity to present a proper defence.

For some years now Fair Go has been a programme out of control. Its reporters, with the notable exceptions of Hannah Wallace and Kevin Milne,  about whom we have never received a single complaint, are power-drunk bullies, its journalism is suspect, its honesty open to question.

Cox is evaluating two potential sites in Auckland, one in the downtown/waterfront precinct and the other in a suburban location.

The company estimates that each new restaurant will create about 80 full and part-time jobs.

However, retail analyst Tim Morris said fast food casual dining chains did not work outside Canada and the United States.

"Chain casual dining hasn't demonstrated an ability to scale globally," Morris said. Other casual dining chains like Denny's, Cobb & Co and Pizza Hut had not worked in New Zealand, he said.

Receiver Kare Johnstone, of McGrathNicol, said that in the lead up to the receivership Shivram had defaulted on royalty payments due to the master franchisor for the region - Nando's Australia - and had been issued with a breach notice under its franchise agreement.

The company owed $1.6 million to Heartland Bank at the time of the receivers' appointment and interest was continuing to accrue on that amount, she said.

Nando's stores in New Zealand, which are independently owned, are not in receivership and continuing to operate as normal.

In December Shivram's sole director, Shailen Ramjee, said he and Heartland had agreed on the receivership, which would "protect the assets so that everyone can be paid" and avoid the franchise agreement being terminated by Nando's Australia.

The New Zealand company exports frozen dough to Japan, which is baked into cookies in Tokyo. The store also sells coffee, icecream and Cookie Muncher merchandise, such as earmuffs, iPhone covers, gift boxes and clothing.

Cookie Time general manager Lincoln Booth said the Cookie Time brand - particularly the Cookie Muncher cartoon character - had struck a chord with Japanese consumers and the Harajuku outlet had traded strongly since its soft launch in December and was already outperforming the Queenstown store.

'Most playgrounds aren't really designed for under-2s,' Ms Foster said. 'So what we are doing at Jumping Beans is teaching them safety skills in an environment which is suitable, so when they do go to playgrounds, they are safe.'

Those who have already enrolled their children in the community-based courses include Olympic rowing couple Rob and Sonia Waddell and former All Black Mils Muliaina and wife Hayley.

Another woman, who did not want to be identified, also found her name was not on the Facebook roster. When she contacted the new owners, she was told she didn't have a job, and to bring in her uniform.

She had worked for the franchise for three years and was considering going to the Employment Relations Authority.

Employment lawyer Susan Hornsby-Geluk said that even if an employee signed a casual contract, it could evolve into permanent status if the pattern of work was ongoing and regular.

In such a case, the job could not be terminated without a formal notice period and explanation.

At McDonald's, sales in the US dipped by 1.6%, with a bigger fall of 2.6% in the faster-growing economies of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Sales in the UK and the rest of Europe proved more robust, rising by 1% in the fourth quarter.

Roberts met DeLuca at a conference early last year and the deal (Franchise Brands Ltd will buy 10 per cent of BurgerFuel with an option to buy 50 per cent in the next eight years, and provide expertise) arose from that meeting. The Americans, says Roberts, see an opportunity.

'Although the US is the home of the hamburger, we think ... the gourmet burger market is only just beginning there. The timing seems right.'