As you are all aware, last week Fair Work Commission President Justice Iain Ross handed down the Commission’s verdict on Sunday penalty rates across a range of industries, including retail and fast food. The NRA is supportive of this decision on behalf of our members. However we are concerned by the additional level of red tape […]
This week the issue of trading hours has been in the spotlight once again. The Productivity Commission has been arguing since 2011 that trading hours be deregulated in all states, including public holidays, as a long-term objective, and that it should be up to retailers to decide when they want to open their doors. After […]
Last week the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released its retail trade figures for the month of December 2016 and the results demonstrated that the National Retail Association was close to spot-on with its Christmas trade period projection. In November, we forecast that for the Christmas trade period – which encompasses half of November and all […]
This week, we’ve seen more upset for Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall, after the discovery of a suspicious package left on the makeshift memorial for the now six people murdered in the 20 January vehicle rampage. After the hundreds of flowers, stuffed toys, cards, photos and balloons were removed on Monday to be replaced with a […]
The long-awaited decision on weekend penalty rates in the retail and hospitality sectors is right around the corner, however the Federal Opposition has reignited debate this week after saying the ALP would move to change the law on the penalty rates, if the decision is to reduce Sunday overtime to the same rate as Saturday’s. […]
Swapping my air-conditioned office for the Malaysian jungle; electronic devices for rifles; heels for army boots; and my daily lattes for wild plants and ration packs wasn’t how I’d pictured returning to work after Christmas, but the Defence Force’s Ex Boss Lift 2017 has shaped up to be one of the most memorable ‘work weeks’ […]
As the excesses of Christmas and New Year make way for positive resolutions for the year ahead (eating healthily and exercising more always seem to top those lists!), we’ve continued receiving great feedback from our members on the pre-Christmas spending and Boxing Day sales periods, particularly in areas now able to trade with fewer restrictions, […]
Many of you may have been watching the media closely around the Christmas and New Year period especially in relation to what we can all expect within retail in 2017. It has been reported that Australian retailers would rather forget 2016, with a “trolley full of famous names including Dick Smith, Pumpkin Patch and Masters […]
A very happy new year to all of our members and to all of the retailers who read our newsletter! The question on every one’s lips is what we can expect in retail for 2017. According to Vend’s white paper, success for retailers in 2017 will depend upon whether they are: Promoting product quality, transparency […]
Boxing Day has lived up to being retail’s event of the year with increases seen in each state and territory across the country. Nationally, consumers have spent around $2.28 billion nationwide in the Boxing Day sales, which is up from $2.19 billion on last year. We have certainly seen economy-wide spending increases in recent months […]
I know that you are all operating at a frantic pace in the days leading up to Christmas and I have been pleased to see the increase in foot traffic throughout the nation as I travel around. Since my appointment as NRA CEO in July this year, I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to represent […]
The positive signs for the end-of-year trading period continue to pop up, with two more pieces of data pointing to a merry Christmas for Australian retail. Early last week, the ANZ/Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating showed households are feel positive about their finances. Consumer confidence levels were well above the average for the last two […]
This week will we see the final release of trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics before the Christmas and Boxing Day trading period. It should give us a clearer indication of how consumer sentiment is tracking as we move into the most important month of the year for retail. An analysis released by […]
First the good news. I declare this column a US election-free zone. There’s plenty of speculation about what it all means for Australia and our economy. I’ll leave that to the “experts”. Much closer to home and, I think, far more relevant to NRA members is the research released by the Commonwealth Bank on Friday, […]
Last week, Brian Walker, CEO & Founder of Retail Doctor Group, met with Luke Parish, this year’s runner up for the National Retail Association’s Young Retailer of the Year. Luke is the Area Manager for Boating Camping Fishing Ltd (BCF) in NSW West, and his submission in the 2016 Young Retailer of the Year competition impressed the […]
MEDIA RELEASE With 50 shopping days until Christmas, the National Retail Association (NRA) has today released its pre-Christmas and Boxing day trade projections which show that Australians are poised to spend more than a billion dollars a day during the busiest trading period for the year. The pre-Christmas and Boxing Day trade period runs from […]
It’s shaping up as possibly the most significant week for retail industry data, as we look for indications of the upcoming pre-Christmas period. Firstly, the Reserve Bank Board will meet tomorrow for its regular discussion of monetary policy. And while general financial industry talk is playing down the chances of a Cup Day rates cut, […]
Love it or loathe it – it’s no secret that 90s fashion has been seeping into fashion stores all year. I wonder how many teenage girls even realise they’re dressing exactly like their mums did back in their heyday! But the real irony for south-east Queensland retailers selling out of Rachel’s, Phoebe’s and Monica’s favourite […]
As you know, the NRA speaks up on a range of issues that affect not only members and other retailers, but also their employees and the entire retail sector. And while we’ve had a lot of success in recent years bringing major issues to the attention of government, sometimes you do question whether anyone is […]
Last week I mentioned the ongoing review of the General Retail Industry Award, and specifically the issue of penalty rates for Sundays. This week I attended a talk on the issue by the President of the Fair Work Commission, Justice Iain Ross. While he didn’t comment on the likely decision, he did make reference to […]