Simon Evans

Simon Evans is a senior reporter at The Australian Financial Review who covers business with a focus on retail, manufacturing, beverages, mining and mergers and acquisitions. He follows how shifts in consumer behaviour, technology and capital investment reshape companies, from book chains and food brands to building products and resources groups. His reporting often connects on-the-ground operational detail with boardroom strategy, giving a clear view of how executives, investors and workers respond to structural change.

Retail and book chains in a changing market

Evans writes closely about large retail brands and how they adjust to new demand patterns and sales channels. In his coverage of Dymocks, he examines how the pandemic and platforms such as TikTok have driven higher book sales and changed which categories perform, showing how cultural and digital trends feed directly into revenue. He brings in context such as the history of flagship sites and store formats, giving his pieces a sense of place and legacy alongside the commercial story. Across his retail work he pays attention to how management teams respond, whether through product mix, marketing or investment in online and in-store experiences.

Food, beverages and brand-driven growth

Food and drink businesses are a recurring focus, where Evans looks at both brand power and the operational realities behind it. His reporting on Maggie Beer Holdings explores how the company uses the Maggie Beer brand to drive growth, from Longtable’s rebadge built around her star power to the push to make her “an e-commerce queen” through online channels. He covers product and category innovation as well, including plant-based meat company v2food’s expansion into sausages backed by investor Jack Cowin and institutional capital, showing how new protein segments are financed and scaled. His broader beat includes wine and beer alongside food, and he consistently links consumer tastes with supply-chain decisions, pricing and investment in production capacity.

Manufacturing, building materials and heavy industry

Evans reports extensively on manufacturing and building materials, focusing on strategy, capital expenditure and the health of major employers. In building products, he tracks Boral’s strategic review and the chief executive’s message that the process does not signal a break-up, reflecting how boards weigh portfolio changes against market speculation. His mining coverage includes pieces on BHP’s $350 million upgrade at Olympic Dam and the company’s expectations for improved performance after the investment, illustrating how large projects unfold and what they mean for output and jobs. Across heavy industry stories he brings out detail on plant operations, major equipment such as blast furnaces, and the role of government and corporate capital in keeping complex facilities running.

Resources, space companies and deal flow

Evans’ business beat extends into technology-enabled industrial and resources companies and the capital markets that support them. He has reported on Myriota’s nano-satellites, describing how a satellite the size of a loaf of bread supports an Internet of Things network and underpins the company’s push into the US market. He covers capital raisings for firms such as Southern Launch, following how specialist infrastructure businesses attract funding and the role of experienced finance executives in structuring these deals. Private equity and contested transactions also feature in his work, including stories on bidders such as BGH Capital being trumped by rivals, where he sets out deal terms, competitive dynamics and implications for shareholders. This strand of his coverage shows how industrial and growth companies interact with investors, lenders and acquirers, and how those relationships shape their strategic options.

Political currents around work and industry

Alongside company-specific reporting, Evans writes on political stories that are grounded in workplaces and the industries he covers. In AFR Weekend coverage of SA politics, he reports on why some voters chose One Nation and notes how blue-collar workers are moving away from Labor towards Pauline Hanson’s party, tying voting patterns to the experiences of workers in manufacturing and resources. This work adds a political and social layer to his business reporting, showing how policy debates and party competition intersect with jobs, industrial shifts and regional economies.