It’s hard to believe that we’re now less than a fortnight until the end of the financial year, with winter having well and truly arrived!
Last week saw the release of the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Many prominent Australians – including Olympic champion Dawn Fraser, Businesswoman Jennifer Westacott and para-athlete Kurt Fearnly – were among the recipients of the highly decorated honour.
I was therefore ecstatic to see jewellery supremo Mr Wallace Bishop also awarded an Order of Australian as a Member in the General Division (AM).
The entire Wallace Bishop family has made an invaluable contribution to not only jewellery and retail, but the community more generally. Few companies can boast being owned and operated by the same family for more than 100 years, not to mention the huge amount of success they have enjoyed throughout this period.
On behalf of the entire NRA I’d like to publicly acknowledge Mr Bishop on this milestone achievement and wish the Wallace Bishop family another 100 years of success!
In other exciting news, one of the world’s largest sporting retailers has announced an expansion in its Australian services. Having opened its first Australian store last December in Sydney, French company Decathlon has confirmed it will launch its first Melbourne store in November.
In total they will open five Melbourne-based stores over the next two years, employing roughly 100 people in the process. The move is further proof that Australia remains an attractive destination for international retail brands.
Meanwhile, Deloitte Access Economics has released its latest quarterly Retail Forecasts report predicting a 2.6 per cent rise in retail turnover in 2018-19. The report noted that Australian retail is still feeling the side-effects from increased competition, digital disruption and weak household income growth.
On a more positive note, the report did indicate that the new GST laws affecting overseas online platforms will be beneficial to domestic retailers. The NRA campaigned heavily to level the playing field for online purchases and we support the conclusion made by Deloitte.
Finally, I’m pleased to say some of our team members joined with the WA Government in Perth last week, ahead of the state’s impeding plastic bag ban. The NRA has worked closely with state governments around the country on this issue – most recently in Queensland – and we look forward to ensuring that there is a smooth transition for retailers and consumers alike in the west.
Have a great week!