Kim Teo

The conversation around cloud has changed. The findings in the iTnews 2026 Cloud Covered Report point to a new reality: cloud is now the foundation for AI adoption, innovation and business transformation. And with that comes new complexity. "Australian organisations are forecast to spend more than $33.6 billion on public cloud services in 2026, a healthy 17.9 percent bump year on year, according to Gartner. Infrastructure-as-a-Service is growing fastest, rising 24.1 percent to $7.1 billion, driven largely by demand for GPU-intensive AI workloads". The questions organisations are asking today: ✅ "How do we understand what our AI initiatives are actually costing us?" ✅ "How do we maintain governance without slowing innovation?" ✅ "How do we gain visibility across multiple cloud platforms, SaaS services and technology investments?" ✅ "How do we ensure we're optimising the value from our technology spend?" For managed service providers, this shift presents both a challenge and opportunity. Customers increasingly expect strategic guidance, proactive insights and recommendations that go beyond a monthly invoice or usage report. For end customers, it means moving beyond simply tracking spend to understanding whether technology investments are delivering the outcomes they were intended to achieve. The era of reactive cloud reporting is ending. Tools and platforms such as Cloud Ctrl need to turn data into decisions that help leaders answer not just "What did we spend?" but "What should we do next?" As AI workloads grow and technology environments become more complex, visibility, governance and actionable insight will become critical capabilities for both service providers and the businesses they support. Read the report here https://lnkd.in/gz62wUtf

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𝗦𝗮𝘀𝘀 & 𝗕𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗲. Once a hallmark of Australian fashion, the label is now being paused and repositioned inside Myer’s growing portfolio strategy under Olivia Wirth. Heritage alone no longer guarantees relevance. Even brands with deep cultural and brand equity need a clearly defined role within a broader system, channel strategy, customer segment, and loyalty ecosystem. Department stores are quietly becoming brand platforms. Myer isn’t just curating ranges anymore. They're building, relaunching, and retiring brands as part of their portfolio assets. Sass & Bide, Marcs, David Lawrence, Just Jeans, Portmans, this is less about fashion cycles and more about capital allocation and customer lifetime value. Physical presence is being treated far more deliberately, being optimised by pulling concessions, closing standalone stores and resetting online. The interesting question isn’t whether Sass & Bide can be revived. It’s if legacy brands can be re-engineered to work inside modern retail operating models, loyalty programs, and portfolio strategies, without losing what made them matter in the first place? I doubt this willbe the last reset we see. #Myer #Sass&Bide #Retail #AustralianRetail #BrandStrategy #DepartmentStores #RetailLeadership

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With Dexus’ recent 25% acquisition of Westfield Chermside, Loculyze took a quick look at what our models tell us about how this exceptional retail destination works. A few highlights: 1) Trade area dominance: The centre strongly dominates Brisbane’s northern suburbs, drawing trade from as far south as the Brisbane River and extending deep into the northern growth corridors. 2) Customer engagement: Average frequency of visit sits at 14 visits per year across the full 1.1M customer base, rising to 35 visits annually in the Primary Trade Area — underlining the centre’s central role in the local community. Dwell time is also up nearly 7% year-on-year, showing customers continue to value the offer. 3) Sales performance: Based on customer volume, engagement, and spending power, our models estimate annual sales of $1.32B. The centre reported $1.35B last December, and we expect results of around $1.4B when the next figures are released — a strong validation of performance and a credit to Scentre Group’s management. 4) Trade area dynamics: Growth across the broader trade area remains consistently strong. We do see some sales erosion in the Primary Trade Area (likely everyday-needs driven), as well as to the south around Fortitude Valley and inner-city suburbs. 5) Headwinds: Population growth, weighted by sales origin, is tracking slightly below the national average over the 5–10 year horizon. Overall: Westfield Chermside stands out as one of the strongest retail assets in the country.

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