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 […]
by Ben Desir, Workplace Advisor, NRA Legal How did you do? Did you manage the mad dash for last minute Christmas gifts? Chances are you brought on a number of casual members of staff to help deal with the Christmas rush. It’s also likely that a few of these casuals really stepped up to the […]
by Angela Szczepanski, Senior Associate, NRA Legal Dismissing an employee can be stressful and is often quoted as the ‘worst part of running a business’. As well as the emotional context, it can be a long and timely process to ensure due process is followed. In particular, special care needs to be taken to minimise […]
Whether you’re just starting out, or experiencing changes in your workforce, the new year is a great time to check if your employment contracts are not only compliant, but effective for your business. Effective employment contracts should: protect your business meet your employer obligations clearly define employment terms and conditions, and help manage issues should they […]
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 […]
Optimising online sales: How to convert lookers to purchasers There are many good reasons for selling your products or services online. Most importantly, selling online increases your market reach, exposes your product to new customer groups, and creates opportunities to increase your overall sales revenue. However, just because you offer an online shopping cart doesn’t […]
MEDIA RELEASE The National Retail Association (NRA) has today predicted Australian consumers will spend a record-breaking $2.28 billion when the roller doors go up this Boxing Day – the highest in Australia’s retail history. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said shoppers this year were on track to spend around $100 million more than Boxing Day last […]
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 […]
Online shopping is not, it seems, the exclusive domain of teenagers and Gen Y, according to a report by Quantium. Online spending is dominated by the 35 to 44 year old market Although those aged 35-44 make up approximately 17.2% of the adult population, their share of online spend is the highest at 24.2%. This is closely followed […]
If your retail business has little to no security policy in place, you run the risk of security breaches which can cost time, money, consumer trust and can result in legal actions. What are the 4 main motivations for retailers to adopt security practices? Protection of operational systems (eg. system shutdown)A virus is capable of disrupting […]
by Victoria Hansen, Lawyer, NRA Legal The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) deployed an unannounced campaign in Ballarat this week to address concerns regarding potential non-compliance with Commonwealth workplace laws. The FWO campaign had a particular focus on businesses in the retail, fast food and hospitality industries and conducted more than 50 visits to retail businesses, cafes, […]
The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is currently running campaigns in multiple regions across Australia to assess compliance and help employers and employees understand their legal rights and obligations. According to the FWO, the campaigns include compliance and education activities, such as providing a range of tools, resources and assistance to businesses to ensure compliance with […]
The National Retail Association and the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are working closely to ensure that Queensland’s proposed plastic bag ban is implemented with as little inconvenience to retailers and consumers as possible. The state-wide ban on the supply of lightweight plastic shopping bags is due to come into effect on 1 […]
Earlier in the week, GDP figures were released for the September quarter which showed a contraction of 0.5 per cent for the Australian economy. While it certainly isn’t time to hit the panic buttons just yet, this should serve as a reminder to all of us in the retail industry not to be complacent when […]
by Ben Desir, NRA Legal Workplace Advisor The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has instituted proceedings for misleading and deceptive conduct against a technology retailer. The ACCC has accused several entities operating under the MSY Technology banner of misrepresenting consumers’ rights to remedies for faulty products, by claiming that: MSY Technology had discretion to […]
Jobs Queensland is developing a Queensland Tourism Workforce Plan aimed at ensuring Queensland has a skilled workforce ready to support a growing and thriving tourism industry. To do this, Jobs Queensland are working with the Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, and also inviting employers and employees to have their say […]
According to a report by Quantium, homewares, groceries, media, and fashion continue to dominate total spend of online retail, but the fastest growth is in takeaway food. Share of spend The top 4 categories – homewares, groceries, media, and fashion – account for 70% of the total amount of online spending as at June 2016. […]
by Aaron Blackman CEO of Retail Express. Key insights across the retail industry from November 2016 November 2016 VS October 2016 Sporting takes a dive in November sales Given the exceptional performance of all retail sectors last month, it’s not surprising that many retailers didn’t follow the same upward trend this month. Sporting was […]
by Meaghan Spencer, NRA Legal Workplace Advisor Results from a study conducted by Australian Workplace Barometer Project have revealed that bullying is prevalent and on the rise in workplaces across Australia. A worker is bullied at work if an individual or a group of individuals repeatedly behaves unreasonably towards the worker, or a group of […]