Discussing disruption in retail

QUT BUSINESS BREAKFAST  BRISBANE: FRI 27 APRIL Just as Airbnb disrupted the hotel sector and Uber disrupted the taxi industry, retail is facing its own seismic changes. In the first retail-themed QUT Business Breakfast for 2017, National Retail Association CEO, Dominique Lamb and QUT’s retail expert Assoc. Prof. Gary Mortimer, will explore retail disruption and the issues […]

Former VP of Fair Work Commission shares insight with retailers

Graeme Watson Dominique Lamb Troy Wild

This week saw the successful launch of the National Retail Association’s State of the Retail Nation forums, proudly sponsored by REST Industry Super. Retailers from across multiple sectors met to hear from industry professionals and to share insight at breakfast briefings in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, plus an online webinar. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb led the […]

Message from the CEO: 27 March 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

In everything that your association does for the retail industry, we have the interests of our members, and all retailers, as our top priority.  This has been particularly true throughout the Fair Work Commission hearings in relation to Sunday penalty rates, and it remains true as that issue continues towards its conclusion.  First we listen […]

NRA and Salvos ‘lead’ new training

nra and salvos stores

The National Retail Association and Salvos Stores have partnered together to offer an exciting new training program designed to empower Salvos Stores people leaders and create customer value. Salvos Stores CEO Matt Davis said that ‘LEAD‘ is a three phase program designed to develop and support people working in Salvos Stores and ensure the ongoing […]

Retailers call for respect for independent umpire, as Labor moves to overrule FWC penalty rates decision

MEDIA RELEASE The National Retail Association (NRA) has warned that Labor’s private members bill, introduced to parliament today to block the Fair Work Commission’s reduction in Sunday penalty rates, sets a dangerous precedent for all independent ruling bodies across the nation. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said that leveraging political interests to undermine the independence of […]

Message from the CEO: 20 March 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

This week, the Federal Opposition has indicated it will move a private members bill to retrospectively legislate against any cuts to penalty rates, after the independent Fair Work Commission’s ruling of a reduction in five out of the 122 modern awards. While it was an entirely independent decision, made by a Commission who thoroughly examined […]

Message from the CEO: 13 March 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

A fortnight on from the penalty rates decision, the accompanying discourse seems to be taking on a life of its own, and devaluing the lengthy and carefully-considered processes behind the decision from the Fair Work Commission. I’ve been particularly saddened to see this independent decision politicised and brandished as a weapon in the gender equality debate […]

New funding for hiring young people

job-active-path

jobactive PaTH starts April 1st Retail is an important industry for young people seeking an entry-level job. Retail is the industry most likely to employ a young person and teach them transferable employability skills.  jobactive PaTH is a new national program being introduced by the Australian Government which is designed to prepare young people and […]

Message from the CEO: 20 February 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

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 […]

Message from the CEO: 14 February 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

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 […]

Message from the CEO: 6 February 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

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 […]

Message from the CEO: 30 January 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

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. […]

H&M enterprise agreement fails BOOT

H&M Store Enterprise Agreement failed

by Ben Desir, Workplace Advisor, NRA Legal After a lengthy application process, Swedish fashion retailer, H&M has had their proposed national enterprise agreement rejected by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) after failing to pass the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT). The agreement, which proposed to trade lower weekend and public holiday penalty rates for higher […]

NSW leads the way in retail spend: CommSec

State of the States CommSec Report Jan 2017

How are retail businesses performing across each of Australia’s states and territories? Each quarter CommSec analyses key indicators across the Australian economy and compares current performance with decade averages, and each of the states. According to the CommSec State of the States January report, NSW has maintained the top spot on the retail rankings with solid activity […]

Message from the CEO: 16 January 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

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, […]

Company forced to reinstate disobedient cleaner

by Meaghan Spencer, Workplace Advisor, NRA Legal Company forced to reinstate cleaner despite dismissal not being unjust A contracting company has been ordered by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to redeploy one of its cleaners whom the company summarily dismissed after he refused to wear his uniform as part of an intentional “campaign of disobedience”. […]

Sydney to host major Asia-Pacific retail conference and expo

Over 3000 executive retail delegates and 120 exhibitors are expected to descend upon the revamped International Convention Centre in Sydney in March for an all-encompassing retail event. To be held over three days in the new convention centre at Sydney’s Darling Harbour, Inside Retail Live will be a celebration of Asia-Pacific retail and a partnership […]

NRA HAVE YOUR SAY: Blood & bone marrow donor leave

NRA HAVE YOUR SAY The Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) have made a claim with the Fair Work Commission (FWC), as part of the four yearly review of modern awards, for the inclusion of blood and bone marrow donor leave to be included in the following modern awards: General Retail Industry Award 2010 […]

Message from the CEO: 9 January 2017

Dominique Lamb CEO National Retail Association

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 […]