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 […]
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 Retail Doctor Group So many retailers are counting on a strong Christmas trading period. Months of planning has gone into bringing in the right stock and staff and a great deal will be invested in marketing to drive traffic into the store, amongst many other things. So what is happening when all this hard […]
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 […]
MEDIA RELEASE The retail industry is on track for record sales during the Christmas trade period, according to the latest round of retail figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS figures for October 2016 reveal that retail turnover rose by 0.5 per cent, seasonally adjusted, which follows a rise of […]
The Christmas and New Year Trading Hours Fact Sheet for 2016/2017 is now available for NRA members. Click here to access the fact sheet (updated 29 November 2016). If you require assistance or you would like more information about these trading hours, contact our Employment Law division via email or phone 1800 RETAIL (738 245).
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, […]
The National Retail Association has notched up another win on the Christmas trade front with the West Australian Government extending retail trading hours in Perth over the Christmas/New Year period. The ruling will allow general retail shops in the Perth Metropolitan area to trade from 7am to 9pm Monday to Friday, from 7am to 6pm […]
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, […]
With the festive season rapidly approaching, businesses are gearing up for Christmas work functions, but as we all know alcohol and employment don’t necessary pair well. When things get ‘out of hand’ at a Christmas party the ‘hangover’ for employers can last well beyond the morning after. We all know that employers are responsible (or […]
Retailers have reason to be hopeful of a very Merry Christmas in 2016, following the release of the Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Index (BSI) for September. The BSI – released late last week – was jam-packed with good news for retailers on the consumer spending front and this should act as a real shot in […]
IMAGE The National Retail Association has succeeded in its application for a one-off exemption for major stores in regional Queensland to trade on the Boxing Day public holiday this year. In a judgement released today, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission ordered that stores may trade between 8am and 5pm on the official boxing day holiday. […]
Commonwealth Bank Australia (CBA) says 74% of retailers won’t be changing their approach to sales this Christmas, even though about half (46%) of shoppers expect larger discounts during the festive season. According to CBA’s latest research from the Retail Insights Report, 18% of Australian retailers have commenced some form of Christmas sale, and 48% of consumers […]
This coming Wednesday evening September 14, the National Retail Association is eagerly anticipating one of our hallmark events for the year, with our Rewards for Excellence Gala Dinner occurring at the Sofitel Sydney. It promises to be a spectacular event, with winners to be announced in several award categories. Rewards for excellence aims to acknowledge […]
This week the NRA Ready for Retail Program has reached our 51st job outcome for our program, which is funded through the Queensland Government Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) Program. Danielle Owen trained in our course in Chermside and undertook her work experience at the Chemist Warehouse in Ashgrove. She did a great job, with […]
Last week’s retail trade data may not have been the most high-profile activity performed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in recent months. That honour clearly went to the national Census. But in terms of outcomes, this exercise was almost as disappointing! The ABS reported that retail trade flatlined in July – in official terms, […]
This week we have completed our third Ready for Retail course delivered in conjunction with MiHaven in Cairns. Using our industry endorsed training program, MiHaven and the National Retail Association have trained seven participants in a Certificate II in Retail Services, giving them skills in customer service, visual merchandising, point of sale and how to […]
It’s the time of year when many businesses start their Christmas casual recruitment and the National Retail Association (NRA) would like to offer you a way to “ try” potential employees before you hire them. There is no cost to you and minimal paperwork to complete. There may even be financial incentives for you, if […]