Coles, Woolworths and the Food and Grocery Council have released a draft industry code of conduct to help govern their relationships with suppliers. The code will be “voluntary” under section 51AE of the…
David Jones has seen online sales grow 1000% since launching its omnichannel strategy, but online sales still only represent 1% of total sales.
AAP/Jeremy Piper
Australian consumers are embracing digital commerce, but Australian retailers are failing to build long-term relationships with their customers online, according to new research. More than 50% of Australians…
There are a range of markets available to buyers and sellers that allow them to exchange goods and services. But whereas some markets are highly regulated, others are not regulated at all. The sale of…
Costco is looking to expand its US petrol business to its Australian stores.
lokeswari/Flickr
In a new twist in the long-running Australian petrol wars, Costco is preparing to join the discount petrol market. Sydney’s second Costco outlet, scheduled to open later this year, will reportedly sell…
Topshop continues its march towards global dominance. Sir Philip Green, the firm’s owner, is now in “advanced discussions” on opening their first stores in China, with Kate Moss set to lead the brand’s…
International brands like Uniqlo are heading to Australia in increasing numbers, defying gloom in the retail sector.
Uniqlo
Japanese fashion label Uniqlo and homeware store Muji will enter the Australian market next year, following other recent arrivals H&M, Topshop and Zara. Despite the purported decline of brick and mortar…
Customers leaving a Target store in Sydney earlier this year, with some of the biogradable shopping bags that can be bought at the counter.
AAP/Dan Himbrechts
Charging for plastic bags at the checkout and even banning disposable plastic bags has been a growing global trend in recent years. So what should we make of the news that retailer Target is binning its…
The recent proclamation by David Jones CEO Paul Zahra that traditional department stores are likely to become smaller, fashion-focused and devoid of low-margin items reflects the various competitive influences…
Whether we like it or not, the world of retail is changing. More and more of us are using the internet to browse shops, read product reviews and search for bargains. It is hardly surprising that this is…
The discount label is a familiar sight in UK shops. Everything from expensive televisions to supermarket essentials now seem to be offered for less than their original prices. But how often is the discount…
Can Stelios run supermarkets as well as he runs airlines?
Barry Batchelor/PA
How low can you go? That is the question that easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has posed to grocery shoppers with the announcement of plans for “easyFoodstore”, a budget grocery shop in Croydon, south…
In some industries, youth wages are still linked to a worker’s age, rather than one’s skill.
AAP
The Fair Work Commission is currently considering an application for 20-year-olds working in retail to receive 100% of the adult wage, instead of the 90% they currently receive. The direct impact of the…
Is Bob Katter exaggerating when he says Coles and Woolworths own 80% of the groceries market?
APH
“The Americans are screaming blue murder because WalMart and their competitor have now reached about 23% market share. Here we have two supermarkets with a market share of over 80%, so if they decide to…
When the sporting gods smile at Australia, we go to Rio, but Brazil has long been on the international business map.
AAP
We have recently witnessed Brazil being hit by mass protests not seen since the days of the military dictatorship, but apart from the Socceroos going to the 2014 World Cup and the Rio Olympics in 2016…
A report released yesterday by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) outlines a very bleak future for the UK high street. A fifth of shops are expected to close in the next five years, with 316,000 job…
Could the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh’s Savar district be a catalyst for reform of the global sweat shop trade?
AAP/ Abir Abdullah
The disastrous building collapse in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka which has killed hundreds of ill-fated garment workers and wounded thousands, has finally shone some well-needed light into the murky business…
Retailers should make it easier for shoppers to buy in-store and online say experts.
AAP
Retailing giant Wesfarmers says it is encouraged by growth in online sales at its Officeworks and Target stores, after the brands posted small lifts in total sales during the last quarter. But retailing…
Four-year-old Ar Zin stared at my bag. He knew there was something special inside. The classroom full of 30 Burmese refugee children was so hushed that I could each child’s breath, and Ar Zin’s eyes followed…
Interim Director, UWA Public Policy Institute; Associate Professor & Programme Co-ordinator (Masters of Public Policy), The University of Western Australia