Aussie consumers trim household budgets to pay for Christmas splurge

Australian consumers are cutting back on luxury goods and services, looking for bargains, and switching to cheaper brands as...

Australian consumers are cutting back on luxury goods and services, looking for bargains, and switching to cheaper brands as they battle rising inflation. However, shoppers are still gearing up for a bumper pre-Christmas sales season with almost half feeling confident and one in five planning to outspend last year, according...

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2022 Consumer Sentiment Report – Prepare your business for the retail events season now

Retail is ever-changing and consumers now have different expectations in the retail environment. Whether it is where they shop,...

Retail is ever-changing and consumers now have different expectations in the retail environment. Whether it is where they shop, how they purchase, or what they use to research, it is all now part of the evolving retail ecosystem. The National Retail Association, working in partnership with Retail Doctor Group, have...

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Look out for counterfeit cash this Christmas season

Retailers have reported a recent rise in the frequency and quality of counterfeit banknotes. Overall, counterfeiting is at its lowest...

Retailers have reported a recent rise in the frequency and quality of counterfeit banknotes. Overall, counterfeiting is at its lowest level in a decade. This decline is due to fewer transactions being made with cash, COVID-19 lockdowns, the rollout of a new banknote series with upgraded security features, and ongoing...

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Free support for Victorian retailers phasing out single-use plastics

Regional business owners in Victoria will have access to free, in-person advice about the Victorian Government’s single-use plastics ban,...

Regional business owners in Victoria will have access to free, in-person advice about the Victorian Government’s single-use plastics ban, when experts from the National Retail Association visit over 3000 retailers between October and December. Problematic single-use plastics will be banned from sale or supply in Victoria from 1 February 2023. The ban...

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Tranche 1 of Aotearoa New Zealand Plastic Phase-Outs now in effect

Retailers operating in New Zealand should be aware that certain hard-to-recycle packaging and single-use plastic products are now banned. From...

Retailers operating in New Zealand should be aware that certain hard-to-recycle packaging and single-use plastic products are now banned. From 1 October 2022, it is illegal to provide, sell or manufacture the following plastic products in Aotearoa New Zealand: Single-use plastic drink stirrers (all plastic types) Definition: A single-use plastic drink stirrer is any...

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Thursday 22 September will be a public holiday for the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.

Following the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that 22 September 2022 shall...

Following the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that 22 September 2022 shall be declared a National Public Holiday. In announcing the National Day of Mourning, Prime Minister Albanese said: “I have asked Premiers and Chief Ministers that Thursday 22 September 2022 be declared...

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Retailers urged to offer on-the-spot interviews to fill the staff shortages ahead of Christmas

Sending through your expressions of interest through an online job board may become a thing of the past in...

Sending through your expressions of interest through an online job board may become a thing of the past in the retail industry as Australia is seeing one of its tightest jobs markets in nearly 50 years With the unemployment rate at a record low of 3.5%, dozens of retailers are...

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Wage Price Index

ABS statistics show that the seasonally adjusted Wage Price Index (WPI) rose 0.7% in the June quarter bringing the...

ABS statistics show that the seasonally adjusted Wage Price Index (WPI) rose 0.7% in the June quarter bringing the WPI for the year to 2.6% which marks progress but still falls well short of the inflation rate at 6.1%. Chief Executive Officer, Dominique Lamb said that while this is a...

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Retailers call for greater sexual harassment prevention resourcing

Peak industry body the National Retail Association has said the industry needs greater resourcing and consistent legislation to prevent...

Peak industry body the National Retail Association has said the industry needs greater resourcing and consistent legislation to prevent sexual harassment towards retail staff. A review by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission revealed some businesses are inadequately positioned to uphold the state’s unique laws that make sexual...

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Canadian nutrition labelling developments and implications for Australia

Health Canada has unveiled a new mandatory front-of-package nutrition label featuring a magnifying glass, designed to highlight foods high in saturated...

Health Canada has unveiled a new mandatory front-of-package nutrition label featuring a magnifying glass, designed to highlight foods high in saturated fats, sugars and/or sodium. The food industry will be given until 1 January 2026 to make these packaging changes. The delayed enforcement date is meant to reduce immediate compliance costs and...

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Retailers welcome workers’ right to paid domestic violence leave

Retailers have welcomed the Albanese Government’s Paid Domestic and Family Violence Leave legislation, introduced to parliament today. National Retail Association...

Retailers have welcomed the Albanese Government’s Paid Domestic and Family Violence Leave legislation, introduced to parliament today. National Retail Association Chief Executive Dominique Lamb said as the country’s second largest employing sector, particularly of women and casual workers who are disproportionately affected by family and domestic violence, the move to...

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1.5 billion containers saved from landfill in WA

Since its launch in October 2020, the Western Australian Containers for Change has reached a major recycling milestone –...

Since its launch in October 2020, the Western Australian Containers for Change has reached a major recycling milestone – saving 1.5 billion 10c containers from landfill. Western Australians should be applauded for returning eligible containers to one of the 256 refund points across the state. Western Australia is now recycling 64...

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Funding available to natural disaster declared communities

A new support package for flood-affected communities across New South Wales will be released today to support farmers, businesses...

A new support package for flood-affected communities across New South Wales will be released today to support farmers, businesses and local councils to recover and rebuild. Disaster assistance is now available in 23 local government areas (LGAs) following severe storms and flooding from 27 June 2022, which continue to impact...

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Record $2 billion losses for Australians to scams

Latest data from ACCC’s Scamwatch shows Australians have lost a record amount of over $2 billion to scams in...

Latest data from ACCC’s Scamwatch shows Australians have lost a record amount of over $2 billion to scams in 2021. Payment redirection, or business email compromise, impacted businesses the most with combined losses of $227 million in 2021. In a payment redirection scam, scammers impersonate a business or its employees via...

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Queensland retailers and shoppers welcome roadmap for reducing waste

The National Retail Association has today endorsed a Queensland Government roadmap to further reduce single-use packaging over five years,...

The National Retail Association has today endorsed a Queensland Government roadmap to further reduce single-use packaging over five years, saying both businesses and shoppers would appreciate a clear plan to move forward. The Queensland Government has today committed to enshrining into law the voluntary shopping bag pact that the NRA...

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WA plastics ban is first of its kind, retailers call for patience and support

With the first phase of the Western Australian plastics ban commencing Friday, the National Retail Association is urging shoppers...

With the first phase of the Western Australian plastics ban commencing Friday, the National Retail Association is urging shoppers to prepare, and to support businesses undergoing significant change over the next few months. The Stage 1 ban will apply to all plastic shopping bags (with handles) of any thickness, including...

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