The Australian retail sector is now just days away from the commencement of the official Christmas trade period, encompassing the second half of November and all of December. In recent weeks I’ve used the CEO column to provide helpful hints on how to maximise sales and ensure that your business is running as efficiently as […]
It’s hard to believe that we are now less than two months away from Christmas. The difference between a good Christmas and a bad Christmas can be crucial to the viability of a retail business. A strong festive season can not only provide a strong injection of profit, but also help a small business weather […]
I spotted a sign once that read, “Hire a teenager now, while they still know everything.” When you consider those aged 15 – 24 are the most likely of all groups to face unemployment, and that we’re the most likely of all industries to give them a job, you know how much time and resources […]
You may be wondering why you’re hearing from me today instead of Dominique? The newest addition to the National Retail Association clan – Dominique’s and husband Tony’s first baby, Wilhelmina – made her grand entrance into the world a little earlier than expected late last week, weighing in at 7lb 7oz and measuring a petite […]
Earlier this week PayPal released its mCommerce Index which surveyed over 1,000 consumers and 400 businesses. The report contained some interesting findings that the retail industry should acknowledge. Rest assured, the NRA has long maintained that traditional bricks and mortar outlets will continue to be at the forefront of the Australian retail scene. However, a […]
It’s no secret we’re addicted to our phones – just think about the panic most of us feel at the thought of losing ours! While it’s also no secret these little devices have revolutionised our industry, the latest research from Salesforce suggests they are going to play an even greater role in the lead up […]
Mary Booth’s vitality certainly belies her age – something that could be down to the exceptional lifestyle where she lives in the Hunter Valley! As the 76-year-old accepted her NRA Lifetime Achievement Award in Melbourne, Ms Booth shared the story of a long career devoted to retail, and how it led her to creating the […]
Commsec has released its business sales index report for July 2018 and it is welcome news for the retail sector. The data – which measures the value of credit and debit card transactions processed via Commonwealth Bank merchant facilities – has seen a July annual growth rate of 16.6 per cent for retail stores, the […]
You have your accounting software. You have a HR system. You have stock control processes in place. You have the huge beast that is ‘marketing’, and the monster workload and management needed to support it. There is literally a bottomless pit of software you could implementing across all the aspects of the business, but smaller […]
It’s 10.24pm and I’ve messaged a retail chat bot. I get a response within 20 seconds. After a few exchanges, I had everything I needed organised. None of us would have imagined this even a few years ago, that conversational commerce with all the money and resources needed to implement, would now be a normal […]
Politicking over penalty rates again; plastic bag bans attracting the ire of ill-prepared supermarket shoppers across the nation; and Godfrey’s co-founder re-taking the reins at a sprightly 100 years old – it’s certainly been an interesting week in the retail sector! The Opposition Leader Bill Shorten this week made a call that would have sent […]
After more than 15 months’ worth of emotive-charged campaigns and attempts by unions and the ALP to block the reduction in Sunday penalty rates, the full changes will finally come into effect this coming Sunday. Or will they? The ALP’s latest move in the ongoing battle against retail business owners is to introduce legislation in […]
It’s hard to believe that we’re now less than a fortnight until the end of the financial year, with winter having well and truly arrived! Last week saw the release of the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Many prominent Australians – including Olympic champion Dawn Fraser, Businesswoman Jennifer Westacott and para-athlete Kurt Fearnly – were among […]
How many great ideas can you think of that ended up having disastrously unforeseen consequences? Given this week’s plastic bag ban campaign launch in Queensland with the NRA’s campaign ambassador, Origin great Mal Meninga, the introduction of cane toads to gobble cane beetles munching on sugar cane crops seems like an appropriate example! But single-use […]
Hard to believe that we’ve already reached Boxing Day in what has been a bumper Christmas for the Australian retail sector. We’re forecasting this Christmas trade period to be the biggest ever and I’m pleased to say that we’re predicting today’s Boxing Day sales to also be a record-breaker! In total, we’re calculating Aussie’s to […]
As we enter the final week before Christmas, I will keep it nice and brief for this week’s CEO column. The Australian retail sector is again on track to record the highest level of sales for the Christmas trade period. We have forecast $48 billion to be spent nationally in retail sales throughout this period, […]
There has been more in the media this week about retail stores doing it tough and some having to close up shop. While we love to celebrate the retail success stories in this industry, we know that behind every one, there are countless others that don’t turn out so rosy. There’s no denying it’s a […]
After what seems like an eternity, the penalty rates issue flared again this week, after the Senate passed measures to reverse the decision of the independent umpire, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to reduce Sunday and public holiday rates. Labor teamed up with the Greens and some crossbenchers to pass amendments to the Government’s bill, […]
Why we won’t be taking money from Amazon to advocate its agenda over yours After months of speculation, Amazon’s soft launch on Friday came and went without much ado, however we would be foolish to underestimate how aggressive the behemoth’s market entry will become over the coming months, and years. Amazon has established its extraordinary […]
Today we can share with you an exciting development for the association, that will open up entirely new avenues for retailers all across the nation. After almost a century representing retailers of all sizes across the nation, we have today announced a national-first partnership with the National Online Retail Association (NORA), allowing us to combine […]