Rob Scott

Wesfarmers has bolstered its chances of taking over Australian Pharmaceutical Industries after buying a 19.3 per cent stake.

Future Perth is a six-part podcast series that will examine the major issues facing this vibrant metropolis as it looks to grow in both size and stature over the next 20 years.

Wesfarmers will make a foray into the health and beauty sector after winning the takeover battle with Sigma Healthcare for Priceline owner Australian Pharmaceutical Industries.

Drawing a line in the sand and setting a date to reopen the state’s borders will help speed up vaccinations, Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott has said.

Perth business woman Megan Wynne attracted national headlines last month when she was hailed as Australia’s newest billionaire, yet recent disclosures by her company indicate that was never the case.

While lower returns on equity have flowed through to WA’s top earners this year, the river has hardly run dry for the top end of town.

The final episode of the Business News Future Perth podcast is now available, looking at the future of the Western Australian economy.The guests for this episode are Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott and PwC partner Justin Carroll.

For most Western Australians, learning to live with COVID-19 will mean looking to the eastern states, if not the rest of the world, for direction.

Richard Goyder has become the latest executive to shun WA over the indefinite border backflip, confirming he will venture east for the foreseeable future.

Wesfarmers says roughly 34,000 trading days across its stores were affected by pandemic restrictions, resulting in a 14 per cent profit fall and a leaner dividend.

WA’s closed border policy is creating barriers for business, with recent moves by Wesfarmers a possible portent of major change.

Wesfarmers is one step closer to completing its acquisition of Australian Pharmaceutical Industries after securing shareholder approval.

A likely change of power in Canberra this year will have little bearing on the makeup of WA’s political and business leaders. Click through to see our updated ranking of WA's 50 Most Influential.

Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott and FMG founder Andrew Forrest are likely to be the only Perth-based business leaders at next week’s jobs summit in Canberra, with Meg O'Neill a conspicuous absentee.

Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott has announced a “solid” full-year profit, and expressed concern about labour shortages and cost uncertainty affecting new investments, but is positive about next week's jobs summit.

Perth engineer Kate West will push for a greater focus on female workforce participation and better planning for the industries of the future at this week’s jobs summit.

The shortage of workers in the resources and infrastructure sectors will peak at 84,000 in two years’ time and would be worse if not for project cancellations, Pit Crew has found.

Wesfarmers has reported more than 500 breaches of modern slavery at its supplier sites in the past financial year, a jump from 386 breaches reported in 2021.

Inflation and sluggish wage growth has barely affected pay for many of WA's top executives.

Investment banker Michael Britton is to head business development at Wesfarmers, a key role with a who's who of past titleholders.

Wesfarmers’ first-half results have been bolstered by its Kmart stores recording a 114 per cent jump in earnings before tax.

Our annual update of WA’s 50 most influential people analyses those using their role and profile to make a difference.

Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott has pocketed more than $9 million after selling a portion of his shares in the Western Australian conglomerate, citing tax obligations.

The managing director of the WA conglomerate has told a forum in Sydney that Wesfarmers is open to more ‘bolt-on’ acquisitions following a string of expansion projects.

Wesfarmers' health and beauty division has upped its offer to $180 million to acquire SILK Laser Clinics after previously walking away from negotiations.

The lobby group for big business has backed up its support for a Voice to Parliament by disclosing its members have substantially boosted their Indigenous employment and procurement.

In this podcast: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss FMG; Austal; IR reforms; office occupancy; Burswood Park; apartment dramas; Scyne Advisory; CEO salaries and WA’s biggest employers.

Well-known names feature among this year’s list of WA’s top earners, though not all are in the roles they’ve become known for.

Wesfarmers is preparing to sell spodumene into the market but doesn’t expect to make a profit, as it continues to ramp up its Mt Holland lithium asset.

SQM boss Ricardo Ramos is robustly confident lithium prices will lift by the end of the year, speaking at the official opening of the Mt Holland lithium project.

Plenty has shifted in Business News’ annual look at WA’s 50 most influential figures, with changes starting at the top of the list.

Wesfarmers’ retail businesses carried its increased profit for the full year, while its lithium business posted a $26 million loss pinned on weak prices for the battery metal.

Business Council of Australia has announced Woodside chief executive Meg O'Neill as the newest addition to its board, joining Wesfarmers managing director and chief Rob Scott.

Shareholder returns were not always reflected in the scale and growth of public-listed executive pay packets last financial year.

Wesfarmers-owned Kmart Group has announced the resignation of managing director Ian Bailey after 19 years, with chief financial officer Aleksandra Spaseska to step up to the role.

Wesfarmers will sell gas supplier Coregas to a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation for $770 million, subject to ACCC and FIRB approval.

Wesfarmers has opted to shut down its online retail business in the face of growing competition, announcing one-off costs of up to $60 million from the wind down of Catch.

Wesfarmers has reported a small rise in interim profit from its diverse retail and industrial operations while maintaining plans to invest heavily in the depressed lithium sector.

The outlook for the Kwinana industrial strip has changed drastically during the past year after a series of project closures and delays.