We had high hopes for this year’s Federal Budget, delivered in the midst of major challenges to the retail landscape, including weaker retail sales over three of the past four quarters, and an ever-increasing influx of overseas competitors. Despite it following the tough medicine approach of 2014 that sent shockwaves through retail, and the next […]
Wage subsidies for employers
jobactive is a an Australian Government program to assist more Australians into work. It connects job seekers with employers and is delivered by a network of jobactive providers in over 1700 locations across Australia. A jobactive provider can help you access wage subsidies of up to $6,500 (GST inclusive) for employing eligible job seekers. Up […]
Reveal growth areas with a CRM
Without customers, your business cannot exist. An obvious statement, however many businesses small to large, don’t put enough focus on managing their customers. That’s where a CRM (Customers Relations Management) system comes into play. Collecting important data like names, address and orders to product preferences and dispute resolutions, can help your business foster a loyal […]
Teleworking – what’s in it for employers?
Flexible work arrangements are no longer just for new parents as more employees are demanding the ability to work from home or have the option of flexible hours. Millennials are leading the charge and older generations are taking note. Flexible work arrangements encourage existing employees to stay, entice new talent to your business and generally […]
Foundation skills for retail
Low levels of literacy and numeracy does not mean that an individual is not capable of reading or completing workplace maths tasks. Rather it means the reading and numeracy tasks of their job role may, on occasion, be beyond their existing skill level and they may need some additional time and assistance. At various points, […]
Think big small talk
The Office of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman has opened a consultation period to find out from small businesses, family enterprises and representative associations what the key issues are when running a business, and what they should focus on as a business advocate. If you have some suggestions, please register your ideas […]
Federal Budget lends helping hand to SME’s
On May 3, 2016, Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison MP handed down the Federal Government’s 2016/17 Budget. This is the third budget for the current Coalition Liberal-National Government and the first for Scott Morrison. This budget is critical to the formation of the economic plan that will be taken to the upcoming election, to be held […]
Have your say on country of origin labelling changes
The Australian Government is proposing a new system to deliver clearer and more consistent country of origin food labels without imposing excessive cost on industry. Consumers have been reporting for some time that they find current labels on food confusing and that they don’t provide the kind of origin information they most want to know. […]
Message from the CEO: 11th December 2015
The Federal Government this week released its innovation package which it hopes will spark an “ideas boom” across Australia. And while most commentary has tended to focus on high-tech industries and emerging technologies, it’s pleasing that the Government realises that ideas and innovation must also be fostered across traditional industries such as retail. Retail is […]
beyondblue says Government’s courageous mental health reforms will make it easier for Australians to get help
Chairman of beyondblue Jeff Kennett said today’s announcement by the Turnbull Government is a defining moment for mental health care in Australia and he commends Health Minister Sussan Ley for having the courage to instigate structural reform by dismantling a badly-integrated system in favour of building a regional one that works for people closer to […]
Stay Safe Online Week 2015
Securing your online business presence helps protect the whole retail sector, which relies on a range of technologies to manage the customer experience. You need to secure point of sale, website, inventory and other systems to protect high value data like financial transactions, credit card data, business data and employee information from being compromised. Websites, […]