Retail

Australia's corporate watchdog has taken Snaffle to court, alleging the online retailer inflated prices and charged excessive interest under credit contracts.

A Victorian shopping centre has been ordered to pay back $1.5 million to a company that broke a contract for a $30 million land sale.

Collapsed clothing brand Jeanswest has nearly $26 million in lease liabilities on stores nationwide, but buyers may bite, administrators have told the Federal Court.  

Two soon-to-be consolidated class actions against Harvey Norman are fighting the retailer’s bid to appoint a costs referee, saying this was unnecessary given their plan to secure a group costs order.

Adelaide real estate group Taplin has acquired the Kurralta Park Village shopping centre from Coles, with the supermarket giant reselling the site for a $1 million profit after just 2 years. 

A judge has put off an application for a 30 per cent group costs order in a class action against JB Hi-Fi so law firm Maurice Blackburn can provide more detail about the proposed fee, which she said was “at the higher end".

A franchisee class action against United Petroleum over alleged loss-making Pie Face stores has been ordered to hand over $3.7 million in security, with a judge finding it was not likely to stultify the class action.

Muffin Break franchisor Foodco has defeated a franchisee's challenge to a ruling that put it on the hook for money owed under a rental agreement after the lease for the store at the Bayside Shopping Centre in Frankston was not renewed.