COVID-19 Update | 9 July 2020

National Cabinet to reduce international arrivals by half, quarantine program under review The Prime Minister announced in a press conference...

National Cabinet to reduce international arrivals by half, quarantine program under review The Prime Minister announced in a press conference this afternoon that there would be a reduction in the number of returning citizens and residents over the next few weeks.There are no travellers returning to Victoria due to the...

Read More

COVID-19 Update | 7 July 2020

Victoria announces return to Stage 3 Lockdown in metropolitan Melbourne and Shire of Mitchell Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, has this...

Victoria announces return to Stage 3 Lockdown in metropolitan Melbourne and Shire of Mitchell Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, has this afternoon announced that based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, Stage 3 'Stay at Home' restrictions will be reinstated across metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire from 11:59pm on Wednesday...

Read More

National Retail Association emphasises innovation in retail with Imfree partnership

The National Retail Association (NRA) has today announced a partnership with Imfree, the first ‘PhyGital’ platform that connects local...

The National Retail Association (NRA) has today announced a partnership with Imfree, the first ‘PhyGital’ platform that connects local customers to bricks and mortar stores through a simple mobile app. Imfree transforms local area marketing and promotions by giving retailers the ability to easily create and publish specials and promotions...

Read More

Technical Standards Committee Chairperson wins top Standards Australia award

The National Retail Association would like to congratulate our Technical Standards Committee Chairperson, Barbara Kerlen. Barbara has been awarded...

The National Retail Association would like to congratulate our Technical Standards Committee Chairperson, Barbara Kerlen. Barbara has been awarded the most prestigious award from Standards Australia, the W.R. Hebblewhite Medal. Standards Awards are presented to those who have made significant contributions to standardisation and demonstrated outstanding service in enabling...

Read More

May retail sales bolstered by lockdown easing, long road to recovery remains

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade report for May has revealed that turnover was bolstered with the...

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) retail trade report for May has revealed that turnover was bolstered with the easing of lockdown measures across the country. The May report recorded a significant 16.9 per cent increase following the disastrous 17.7 per cent nosedive for April 2020. National Retail Association (NRA) CEO...

Read More

NRA welcomes ACCC announcement regarding rent relief measures

The National Retail Association (NRA) has welcomed the ACCC announcement proposing to grant authorisation for NRA members to engage...

The National Retail Association (NRA) has welcomed the ACCC announcement proposing to grant authorisation for NRA members to engage in information sharing and, in the case of tenants, collective bargaining with respect to their leases. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said the draft determination meant that NRA members are one...

Read More

NRA successfully defends penalty rates decision

The National Retail Association (NRA) has successfully defended the 2017 Penalty Rates Case following an attempt by the unions...

The National Retail Association (NRA) has successfully defended the 2017 Penalty Rates Case following an attempt by the unions to delay the final stage of Sunday penalty rate reductions. Addressing a Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission on Monday, counsel for the NRA successfully asserted that a sudden change...

Read More

Retail rebounds in May as restrictions lifted, long road to recovery still ahead

Retail turnover rebounded in May by 16.3 per cent following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, according to the preliminary...

Retail turnover rebounded in May by 16.3 per cent following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, according to the preliminary retail trade report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). However, NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said that a sizeable rise in sales was guaranteed to happen as shops began to...

Read More

Groundhog Day comes early for struggling retailers

Struggling retailers will be hit with the Australian version of Groundhog Day on February 1 next year, when they...

Struggling retailers will be hit with the Australian version of Groundhog Day on February 1 next year, when they wake up to find all their concerns have again been ignored by the Fair Work Commission and they are once again confronted with the spectre of widespread business closures. Following today’s...

Read More

New safety standard for projectile toys

The ACCC has announced an updated mandatory safety standard for projectile toys, designed to protect children from serious eye...

The ACCC has announced an updated mandatory safety standard for projectile toys, designed to protect children from serious eye injuries or choking from toys like bow and arrow sets and toy guns. The mandatory standard prescribes requirements for the design, construction and labelling of projectile toys. Suppliers are now able...

Read More

Further extension of COVID-19 trading arrangements in Greater Adelaide

The Hon Rob Lucas MLC, Treasurer, has announced a further 30 day exemption for extended trading hours in the...

The Hon Rob Lucas MLC, Treasurer, has announced a further 30 day exemption for extended trading hours in the Greater Adelaide Shopping District (CBD & Suburbs). SA Health officials continue to support extended shop trading as a measure which assists in physical distancing.  “The public health advice is clear and,...

Read More

Victorian Wage Theft Bill 2020 passes, introduces criminal offences for employers

In the middle of a pandemic that has left the nation in economic turmoil and prompted Australia’s first recession...

In the middle of a pandemic that has left the nation in economic turmoil and prompted Australia’s first recession since 1991, the Victorian Government has passed the Wage Theft Bill 2020 (Vic) which puts employers around Victoria at risk of criminal prosecution. The Bill creates new criminal offences in Victoria...

Read More

More red tape for VIC retailers not needed as country enters recession

The National Retail Association (NRA) has attacked the Victorian Government for imposing unnecessary red tape on struggling small retailers...

The National Retail Association (NRA) has attacked the Victorian Government for imposing unnecessary red tape on struggling small retailers as Australia enters its first recession in 30 years. Earlier the Victorian Parliament passed the Wage Theft Bill 2020, despite staunch opposition from the small business community who argued that federal...

Read More

Managing customer frustration with cashless transactions

Many retailers have implemented store policies against cash transactions to minimise the risk of transferring the COVID-19 virus from one...

Many retailers have implemented store policies against cash transactions to minimise the risk of transferring the COVID-19 virus from one person to another. Researches argue that objects, including polymer banknotes, can remain infectious from anywhere between 6 and 24 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity. If a person is infected,...

Read More

Retail industry expertise will be crucial for Morrison Government’s Award Simplification Working Group

The National Retail Association will bring crucial inside knowledge of the workings of the retail sector with its appointment...

The National Retail Association will bring crucial inside knowledge of the workings of the retail sector with its appointment as a primary member of the Morrison Government’s Award Simplification Working Group. NRA Chief Executive Officer Dominique Lamb said the high number of prominent payroll failures in the sector in recent...

Read More

SafeCity Network Brisbane – Retail Crime during COVID-19 recovery

The following trends in retail crime have been witnessed by Brisbane retailers over the past few weeks, as relayed...

The following trends in retail crime have been witnessed by Brisbane retailers over the past few weeks, as relayed across the National Retail Association's SafeCity Network. Rise in crime on George St and Adelaide St Retailers have reported an increase in aggression, loitering and theft by people who appear to be...

Read More