Price hikes in wings as businesses fend off cost pressures
As alarming as it sounded, BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis said Kiwis forgot they had had virtually no inflation for a long time – a fact that seemed hard to believe when rent and house prices were soaring. Businesses were juggling a number of price pressures, he said, and they were not just related to supply shortages and soaring freight costs. Bejon Haswell/Stuff Timaru businessman Andrew Milliken, of Milliken’s Furniture and Beds, is among retailers who say they can no longer absorb the steep rise in shipping cost on imports. ''We're also seeing things like the minimum wage push...