The retail industry holds so many events through the year that it can be hard deciding which to attend. Here are 5 reasons why you should attend the Retail Fulfilment Summit, held in Melbourne from 26-28 February 2018, so save your spot today! 1. Industry backed The summit is truly for the industry and is […]
Australia’s two leading retail industry groups have joined forces to help retailers move in response to the rapidly changing business environment. Australia’s largest and most representative retail industry group, the National Retail Association, and the established business network connecting and supporting online retailers, NORA, have today announced a national-first partnership. The new partnership will allow […]
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 […]
With consumers gearing up to spend big over the Christmas period and summer holidays, retailers are busy preparing themselves and employing young workers to assist over the coming weeks. But are you aware of the laws around young workers? It is certainly not the case that you can pay your young employees at trainee rates, […]
Keeping on top of retail fraud is a never-ending battle. The South Australian Police Force has uncovered yet another retail and consumer con this week and is calling on all retailers to be on high alert, and make immediate contact if they sense something suspicious. Scammers have been buying items like vacuum cleaners over the […]
That time has arrived once again – we are officially in ‘pre-Christmas trade’! As we all know, that can mean frantic attempts keep clothes on hangers rather than change room floors; clearing tried-on footwear again and again and again; helping indecisive gift-buyers find that special something; and the never-ending carols loop (that sends your staff […]
Two weeks ago I wrote to you about the New South Wales Government’s reforms to gift cards, extending the minimum validity period to three years. As I said at the time, the NRA was not supportive of the changes, but we understood the government’s motivation in terms of protecting consumers and helping them to maximise […]
The SMH this week reported that consultancy firm McKinsey has forecast the volume of freight passing through Australian cities is projected to increase 40 per cent by 2050, driven in part by ecommerce. With the added weight of Urban Futurist Stephen Yarwood’s predictions online retail could fast-tract autonomous transport, it’s easy to feel a sense […]
This week we saw the NSW Government pass its laws extending the minimum lifespan of gift cards from one year to three years. I know from speaking to many members that this will cause headaches in a range of areas – from accounting for unused cards on your balance sheets through to regulatory red tape […]
The reporting over the past week on the penalty rates case has been fascinating to say the least. In many ways, it has illustrated how deeply Australian’s misconceptions have been about the issue, but more importantly, how easy it has been for those with a vested interest to heighten those misconceptions to erode the country’s […]
It’s that time of year again – the dust has settled on the annual ‘too soon?’ media narrative after the fruit mince pies have hit the grocery store shelves; the warm weather’s sparking daydreams about tropical, end of year holidays; and staff in corporate offices are locking down dates for the work Christmas party. For […]
RainCheck is a platform that transcends the digital and physical worlds for retail shopping. It allows people to save items they discover online and request availability from store associates nearby, creating an on-demand shopping experience. With 90% of people discovering and researching new products online, 90% of transactions in retail still occur offline in-store. However, […]
Mornings with Steve Austin The Retail Panel is back with more retail insights from Dominique Lamb (CEO NRA), Gary Mortimer (QUT School of Business), and Christine Moody (Brand Audits). Consumer demand is shifting away from fast fashion, and focusing more on unique, better quality products. A number of major international retailers are struggling in Australia. Have […]
Two challenges to the penalty rates ruling brought by worker unions have now been heard in the Federal Court, with both cases heard together last week, in front of a full bench in Melbourne. After joining other employer and business groups including the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Hotels Association and the NSW Business Chamber […]
Last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) began rolling out the new $10 note into the Australian economy, equipped with a raft of security measures to safeguard against counterfeiting. Just like with new $5 note introduced 12 months ago, the flashy new note features a clear window from top-to-bottom, complex holograms and parts that […]
Statistics from Commonwealth Bank show that 51% of Aussie retailers are aware of Amazon’s inevitable arrival, but are unsure how to prepare a competitive strategy in order to compete. Amazon’s arrival will no doubt trigger retailers to rethink how they do business, but this should not be seen as a bad thing. Increased competition, which also […]
We would like to take this opportunity to notify our membership that we are farewelling Troy Wild, NRA’s Director, Legal Division, who has been a great support to all of you over the past 12 months. We thank Troy for his contribution to the NRA and the retail industry and wish him well in his […]
The retail trade figures for July released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week showed that the industry enjoyed a solid start to the financial year. I’m always aware that these figures vary from state to state and sector to sector, but on the whole it was encouraging to see the 3.5 per cent […]
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade figures for July 2017 released earlier today show a stable start for the industry in the second-half of the year. For the month of July, the trend estimate for Australian turnover rose by 0.3 per cent, closely in line with 0.4 per cent increases recorded in May […]
The 2017 National Retail Awards is only one month away! With just one month until the winners are revealed, preparations for the gala event-of-the-year, the 2017 National Retail Awards, have been ramping up. As the industry’s most prestigious award ceremony, the stunning gala dinner will be reminiscent of the Oscars. In front of over 400 […]