Briefcase: Business snippets from around South Australia
In this week’s Briefcase, Rundle Mall celebrates its 50th year, and South Australia breaks export records as airlines continue to expand.
- Luxury hotel tops out
- Pharmaceutical company expands
- China Southern Airlines invests in Adelaide
- Cheap as Chips appoints administrators
- ASC extends workforce training in $2 million partnership
- Record exports leave South Australia
- Rundle Mall celebrates its 50th year
- Demand for copper breaks record
- Developer buys Whyalla landmark
- Southern Launch announces collaboration with South Korean company
- BlueScope board rejects takeover attempt
Luxury hotel tops out
The topping out of Crystalbrook Sam, a 12-storey luxury hotel on Halifax Street, has been commemorated at a beam signing ceremony with key project partners and South Australian Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison.
The hotel is set for completion in late 2026 and will feature 196 rooms and suites, along with a restaurant on the twelfth floor with panoramic views of the CBD and the Adelaide Hills. It will also house Adelaide’s first Eléme day spa, along with a range of amenities and meeting rooms.
Geoff York, CEO of Crystalbrook Collection, said that “topping out brings us another step closer to opening Crystalbrook’s first hotel in South Australia.
“Adelaide’s hospitality scene is evolving with enormous energy, and we’re excited to contribute to that momentum,” York said.
Pharmaceutical company expands
Mayne Pharma has announced the opening of its expanded manufacturing facility in Salisbury, supported by a $4.8 million federal government modern manufacturing initiative grant.
The now 12-hectare site will provide the company with increased manufacturing capacity and capability, allowing for the large-scale production of various medications.
The expansion is part of Mayne Pharma’s $18 million investment into modernising and expanding the company, to boost production efficiency and quality.
China Southern Airlines invests in Adelaide
China Southern Airlines will expand its Adelaide-Guangzhou service to operate year-round, connecting Adelaide to global markets across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.
The airline has been operating a seasonal service between December and March since 2024, flying three times per week return direct from Guangzhou to Adelaide. Extra flights will be added from March this year to operate year-round.
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Each flight is able to ferry 15 tonnes of South Australian goods direct to China, and the expanded service will be able to accommodate more than 2300 tonnes of outbound airfreight each year.
Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said, “This year-round service from China Southern reflects growing confidence in the South Australian market and is a strong vote of confidence in our aviation and tourism sectors”.
Cheap as Chips appoints administrators
Adelaide-based discount retailer Cheap as Chips has entered voluntary administration, entering into a contract with discount store Choice to sell the business, subject to a proposed restructure.
Cheap as Chips, which operates 47 stores across South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, as well as e-commerce operations, employs 525 staff. All store staff and the majority of other staff will be offered ongoing employment.
Voluntary administrators will oversee the restructure and assume control of the business, continuing to trade as business as usual.
“Appointing administrators provides an independent and structured process to manage the sale of Cheap as Chips, supported by the company’s major creditor,” administrator Glenn Livingstone said.
‘Chippie rewards’ loyalty benefits will be honoured during the administration process, up until January 31.
ASC extends workforce training in $2 million partnership
Sayres Australia, a veteran-owned and led professional services company with expertise in defence training design and delivery, has been contracted by Australia’s submarine company (ASC) to support further specialised training programs for enhancing the capability of the nation’s submarine workforce.
Currently supporting ASC with the design and development of Navy training courses, the $2 million contract expansion will see Sayres Australia assist with the design and development of tailored training to ASC employees. Training will focus on technical proficiency and operational readiness.
“We’re proud to continue and expand our support to ASC in developing high-impact training aligned with Australia’s Defence objectives, in what is an exciting milestone for Sayres Australia,” Sayres Australia Chief Executive Craig Powell said.
Record exports leave South Australia
The first release of ABS export statistics for 2026 has revealed that $351.1 million worth of goods left South Australia via airlines over the past year, more than double since the pandemic.
The new figures also reveal a year-on-year tripling of South Australian lobster exports, with a record $137.3 million sold to the world over the past 12 months.
A growing number of wide-bodied passenger jets like the Airbus A350 and Boeing-787 Dreamliner have a cargo capacity of about 15 tonnes, allowing South Australian products ranging from food to fashion to go directly into key markets.
“When we came to Government, direct flights from Adelaide to the world had reached rock bottom,” Trade Minister Joe Szakacs said.
“It’s pleasing to see Adelaide Airport air freight and lobster exports surging to all-time highs”.
Rundle Mall celebrates its 50th year
Rundle Mall, Australia’s first pedestrian mall, has launched its year-long golden jubilee celebration, marking five decades since it was opened in September 1976 by then-Premier Don Dunstan.
The precinct was inspired by European piazzas and designed as a human-centred city space for connection, culture, performance and everyday life. At its official opening, Don Dunstan described the mall as a place “where people could come and stroll, meet one another, enjoy an open-air activity, and at the same time, of course, go and purchase what they wanted”.
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Rundle Mall is now the busiest shopping precinct in Australia and the largest pedestrian mall in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 52 million visitors each year.
The anniversary celebrations were officially launched this week, with Premier Peter Malinauskas announcing $250,000 in state government funding to support the precinct’s year-long program of events, activations and community initiatives.
“Rundle Mall is the heart of Adelaide – a place that has shaped how South Australians shop, gather, celebrate and connect for five decades,” Malinauskas said.
“It’s not just a retail precinct; it’s a shared civic space that belongs to everyone.”
Demand for copper breaks record
South Australia’s copper prospects have broken through the $3 billion mark for refined copper to a new record export figure.
New international trade figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in the 12 months to November 2025, copper reached $3.1 billion, up from $2.65 billion in the 12 months to November 2024.
Many technologies being deployed worldwide to electrify and decarbonise economies require carbon, and it features heavily in the infrastructure for information technology, meaning the increasing use of artificial intelligence is likely to continue to fuel demand.
South Australia hosts almost 70 per cent of Australia’s economic copper reserves, with the total value of the state’s copper exports growing by almost 100 per cent from $2.15 billion in 2015 – 2016 to 4.28 billion in 2024 – 2025.
“This record $3 billion figure is more evidence that copper is the resource of the future, and further vindication of the government’s determination for South Australia to be a world leader in copper,” Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis said.
Developer buys Whyalla landmark
The iconic Beach Hotel in Whyalla, which was owned by steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta and entered administration in February last year alongside the Whyalla Steelworks, has been sold to South Australian developer Lofty Property Group.
The sale was overseen by the administrators of OneSteel Manufacturing, with the developer planning to refurbish the venue and accommodation site.
The sale follows state, commonwealth and council investment in the area and reflects growing confidence in the area, Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said.
“Businesses are choosing to invest in Whyalla because they see its future,” he said.
“Our foreshore has taken major steps forward over the past few years, and private investment building on that momentum is exactly what we want to see,” said City of Whyalla Mayor Phill Stone.
Southern Launch announces collaboration with South Korean company
Adelaide-based bespoke mission services provider Southern Launch has signed South Korean launch service provider INNOSPACE to conduct space missions from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex and the Koonibba Test Range.
“We are excited to welcome INNOSPACE to our launch sites,” said Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch.
“INNOSPACE is at the forefront of launch vehicle development, and we are proud to support ther technology and mission objectives from both Whalers Way and Koonibba.”
BlueScope board rejects takeover attempt
The board of BlueScope has rejected a $13 billion takeover offer, labelling it “highly opportunistic”.
In a statement, the board said the takeover proposal was unanimously rejected “on the basis that it very significantly undervalued BlueScope”.
“Let me be clear – this proposal was an attempt to take BlueScope from its shareholders on the cheap,” BlueScope chair Jane McAloon said.
“It drastically undervalued our world-class assets, our growth momentum, and our future – and the board will not let that happen.
“This is the fourth time we’ve said no and the answer remained the same – BlueScope is worth considerably more than what was on the table.”
SGH, formerly known as Seven Group Holdings, teamed up with the US-based industrial metals group Steel Dynamics to make an all-cash offer for BlueScope Steel.
BlueScope – as part of a consortium with Japanese, Indian and Korean steelmakers – is the presumptive lead bidder for the embattled Whyalla Steelworks, which is currently being operated by KordaMentha administrators with the assistance of BlueScope expertise.
