i too read that article yesterday and personally did not think...

i too read that article yesterday and personally did not think too much of it. It seems to me ML has a strong dislike of this move and has been putting a negative spin on it from before it even began. Lowe's is in this JV to provide expertise and economies of scale, so i can't see how they can say that Carboxyl won't benefit from the purchasing power of Lowes.

Of course time will tell but i think the more stable cash position of WOW will allow it to compete and compete well with Bunnings, with WES being less hamstrung by debt it still has to focus primarily on Coles. WOW should also be trying to hammer its advantages in supermarkets as well, which in the West atleast it seems to be doing.