HW~BSWORTH LAWYERS

Our Ref: RHW:226565

15 November 2012 AUST. COMPETITION & CONSUMER COMMISSION

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1 5 NOV 2012 · Mr Richard Chadwick General Manager- Adjudication Branch Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Level 20 175 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000

Dear Sir

By hand

Form G - Notification of Third Line Forcing Exclusive Dealing

We act for WowCow Australia Franchise Pty Ltd (WowCow) and enclose:

(a) Form G - Notification of Exclusive Dealing for lodgement; and

(b) a cheque on behalf of our client in the amount of $100 in payment of the filing fee.

By way of background, WowCow is the franchisor of a network of frozen yogurt dessert stores.

In order to ensure that all WowCow stores have a consistent 'look and feel' and offer a consistent product range, WowCow franchisees may be required by WowCow to source particular products to be used in WowCow stores from supplier/s nominated by WowCow. WowCow's appointment of any nominated supplier will be subject to regular review to ensure that nominated suppliers continue to provide franchisees with high quality products at competitive prices.

Earlier this year, WowCow Pty Ltd notified this conduct to the ACCC (N95999) naming WowCow Pty Ltd as the franchisor entity. WowCow has since undergone a company restructure and as a result, the franchisor of the WowCow system is now WowCow Australia Franchise Pty Ltd.

Accordingly, WowCow now wishes to lodge a new notification, for the same conduct, for WowCow Australia Franchise Pty Ltd.

If you require any further information to consider this notification, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely HWL Ebsworth

tee:.~'-Partner

Writer: Richard Westmoreland I (02) 9334 8717 E-mail: rwestmoreland@hwle.com.au Postal : GPO Box 5408 Sydney, New South Wales 2001 Address: Facsimile:

Level 14, Australia Square, 264-278 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000 1300 369 656 (Australia) I +61 3 8615 4301 (International)

OX: OX 129 Sydney

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Brisbane

Canberra

Melbourne

Norwest

Sydney

ABN 37 246 549 189

Form G

Commonwealth of Australia Competition and Consumer Act 2010- subsection 93 (1)

NOTIFICATION OF EXCLUSIVE DEALING

To the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission:

AUST. COMPETITION & CONSUMER COMMISSION

SYDNEY

1 5 NOV 2012'

Notice is hereby given, in accordance with subsection 93 (1) of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, of particulars of conduct or of proposed conduct of a kind referred to subsections 47 (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) or (9) of that Act in which the person giving notice engages or proposes to engage.

PLEASE FOLLOW DIRECTIONS ON BACK OF THIS FORM

1. Applicant

(a) Name of person giving notice: (Refer to direction 2)

WowCow Australia Franchise Pty Ltd (ACN 158 170 444) (WowCow)

(b) Short description of business carried on by that person: (Refer to direction 3)

WowCow is the franchisor of a network of frozen yogurt dessert stores.

(c) Address in Australia for service of documents on that person:

Carl Harwin C/- Hayes Knight (NSW) Pty Ltd Level 2, 115 Pitt St. Sydney NSW 2000

2. Notified arrangement

(a) Description of the goods or services in relation to the supply or acquisition of which this notice relates:

This notice relates to:

• Ingredients and food products;

• Kitchenware and related products;

• Cleaning supplies and chemicals;

• Specialist machines used in the preparation of WowCow products (for example, frozen yoghurt machines);

• Point of sale and reporting equipment and systems; and

• Digital media systems (including programmed recorded or streamed music and digital menu boards and related data systems),

to be used in the operation ofWowCow stores (collectively referred to as Products).

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(b) Description of the conduct or proposed conduct: (Refer to direction 4)

As a condition of its franchise agreements, WowCow may, from time to time, require its franchisees to acquire particular Products from suppliers nominated by WowCow.

3. Persons, or classes of persons, affected or likely to be affected by the notified conduct

(a) Class or classes of persons to which the conduct relates: (Refer to direction 5)

WowCow franchisees.

(b) Number of those persons:

(i) At present time:

None.

(ii) Estimated within the next year: (Refer to direction 6)

Not known.

(c) Where number of persons stated in item 3 (b) (i) is less than 50, their names and addresses:

Not applicable.

4. Public benefit claims

(a) Arguments in support of notification: (Refer to direction 7)

WowCow has invested a large amount of effort and research to develop a "turnkey" franchise system in which, as far as possible, detailed systems and processes to be used in the franchised business have all been developed and tested and appropriate Products for use in those systems, ranging from ingredients, specialised machines and equipment to music and menu boards, have been identified and tested.

This provides substantial benefits to franchisees, by reducing the areas of risk associated with a franchised business and providing the franchisee with the best possible chance of operating their business successfully from the outset. The detailed specification of Products and systems also provides benefits to both consumers and franchisees by ensuring that customers are always provided with a high quality, consistent retail experience across the franchise system.

WowCow has carefully considered the Products intended for use in WowCow stores and which suppliers can provide those Products to the standards required by WowCow and at a reasonable cost.

By ensuring that WowCow franchisees acquire the Products from nominated suppliers, WowCow is able to provide the following benefits:

•

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An improved ability to ensure that menu products at WowCow stores are of a consistent high quality across the franchised businesses, enabling WowCow to promote WowCow products more effectively and strengthening the WowCow brand for the benefit of all franchisees. This also assists

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franchisees to compete more effectively in the highly competitive quick service restaurant sector;

• More efficient financial reporting and the ability to more closely monitor business performance between WowCow and its franchised businesses;

• That WowCow's high standards are adhered to by all WowCow franchisees, minimising variances across all WowCow stores; and

• That WowCow franchisees have access to competitive prices for the Products by negotiating on a group basis. The prices WowCow negotiates and the Products supplied will be subject to regular review to ensure that they continue to be competitive.

(b) Facts and evidence relied upon in support of these claims:

Please refer to item 4(a) above.

5. Market definition

Provide a description of the market(s) in which the goods or services described at 2(a) are supplied or acquired and other affected markets including: significant suppliers and acquirers; substitutes available for the relevant goods or services; any restriction on the supply or acquisition of the relevant goods or services (for example geographic or legal restrictions): (Refer to direction 8)

It is likely that a range of separate markets will exist for different categories of Products that may be acquired from suppliers nominated by WowCow. These markets may be regional or national in scope.

6. Public detriments

(a) Detriments to the public resulting or likely to result from the notification, in particular the likely effect of the notified conduct on the prices of the goods or services described at 2 (a) above and the prices of goods or services in other affected markets: (Refer to direction 9)

For the following reasons, WowCow does not believe that the notified conduct will give rise to any public detriments:

•

•

•

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WowCow and its franchisees do not account for a competitively significant proportion of sales or purchases in any relevant market. As such, the notified conduct is unlikely to be capable of generating any anti-competitive effects.

Ensuring that its franchisees offer the Products acquired from a supplier nominated by WowCow will enable WowCow to achieve and promote consistent customer experience at WowCow stores, not only benefiting consumers but also allowing WowCow franchisees to more effectively compete in the highly competitive quick service restaurant sector.

Products produced by the nominated suppliers are subject to WowCow's strict requirements relating to food quality, quantity, preparation and storage. The notified conduct will ensure the integrity and quality of the Products and menu products is not compromised and is consistent across the franchised businesses.

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• Suppliers nominated by WowCow will be subject to regular review to ensure that they continue to provide high quality products to franchisees at competitive prices.

(b) Facts and evidence relevant to these detriments:

Please refer to item 6(a) above.

7. Further information

(a) Name, postal address and contact telephone details of the person authorised to provide additional information in relation to this notification:

Dated:

Richard Westmoreland HWL Ebsworth Level 14, Australia Square 264-278 George Street Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: (02) 9334 8717 Email: rwestmoreland@hwle.com .au

15 November 2012

Signed on behalf of the applicant

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AUST. COMPETITION & CONSUMER COMMISSION

~YONEY

1 5 NOV 2012,

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DIRECTIONS

1. In lodging this form, applicants must include all information, including supporting evidence that they wish the Commission to take into account in assessing their notification.

Where there is insufficient space on this form to furnish the required information, the information is to be shown on separate sheets, numbered consecutively and signed by or on behalf of the applicant.

2. If the notice is given by or on behalf of a corporation, the name of the corporation is to be inserted in item 1 (a), not the name of the person signing the notice, and the notice is to be signed by a person authorised by the corporation to do so.

3. Describe that part of the business of the person giving the notice in the course of which the conduct is engaged in.

4. If particulars of a condition or of a reason of the type referred to in section 47 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 have been reduced in whole or in part to writing, a copy of the writing is to be provided with the notice.

5. Describe the business or consumers likely to be affected by the conduct.

6. State an estimate of the highest number of persons with whom the entity giving the notice is likely to deal in the course of engaging in the conduct at any time during the next year.

7. Provide details of those public benefits claimed to result or to be likely to result from the proposed conduct including quantification of those benefits where possible.

8. Provide details of the market(s) likely to be affected by the notified conduct, in particular having regard to goods or services that may be substitutes for the good or service that is the subject matter of the notification.

9. Provide details of the detriments to the public which may result from the proposed conduct including quantification of those detriments where possible.

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