Retailers meet with government over changes to low-value threshold
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
The retail industry has been meeting with the federal government and is hopeful changes will be made to the import low-value threshold, which it argues allows offshore retailers to gain an unfair advantage over local shops.  ...

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ACCC to investigate clothing importers stitching up online deals
Friday, 18 May 2012
The competition watchdog is launching an investigation into reports that some fashion importers are asking retail websites to charge Australians more or block them from buying certain brands.  ...

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Retailers look to Budget sweetener for family respite
Monday, 07 May 2012
Tomorrow’s Budget will include a sweetener in the form of extra cash for families with school-age kids, a move welcomed by struggling retailers.  ...

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Attention retailers: Ignore your Association’s cynical tax concession bid
Thursday, 09 December 2010
It's not often that the stuff of blogs like this makes it to the front page of our newspapers and the headline of our television news.  ...

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Strike action threatens Christmas trading as calls grow for review of workplace laws
Monday, 06 December 2010
Fears are growing that industrial unrest in the transport sector could have an impact on Christmas trading, with a transport union push for better pay and conditions expected to lead to strike action.  ...

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Christmas sales tipped to rise slightly to $40 billion, as consumers shun sin spending to buy computers
Thursday, 02 December 2010
Australia's retailers are bracing for moderate sales growth during the peak Christmas selling season, with modelling from the Australian Retailers Association suggesting sales will hit $39.9 billion between mid-November and December 25, up just 3.5% from last ...

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Online retail war heats up as international retailers target Australian shoppers, experts urge local SMEs to innovate
Monday, 29 November 2010
Proof that international retailers are now fighting for Australian dollars has finally appeared, with US department store Sears launching a 20% discount offer specifically for Australians in the lead-up to Christmas.  ...

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No quick fix for retailers
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
You've got to have some sympathy for Australia's retail sector right now. Just about everything that could go wrong this year has.  ...

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Retailers eCommerce tax bid misguided at best
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
It's official. Australia's retail industry is living in a vacuum.  ...

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Five sectors that will be hit hard by the interest rate hike
Wednesday, 03 November 2010
Businesses have reacted angrily to yesterday's interest rate increase, with several sectors including retail, property and hospitality furious ahead of what they believe will be a disappointing holiday sales period.  ...

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Australian retailers hurting as shoppers head online
Friday, 29 October 2010
The pressure is growing on retailers, with the Australian Retailers Association claiming that too many customers shopping online is hurting the industry. The Association also says the move online is depriving the Government of over $600 million in GST revenue. ...

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Greens back NSW Government’s demands for union-friendly OHS changes
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
The NSW Government's threat to back out of the national occupational health and safety regime unless controversial union-friendly changes are made to the legislation has received the backing of the Greens.  ...

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Retailers attack Fair Work Australia decision on minimum shifts, consider appeal
Monday, 11 October 2010
Retailers have attacked Fair Work for upholding a decision to restrict businesses from scheduling shifts shorter than three hours, saying the move will effectively block younger employees from working after school.  ...

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Rate rise tipped for tomorrow as inflation concerns grow
Monday, 04 October 2010
The chances of the Reserve Bank of Australia board increasing interest rates continue to rise, with a growing number of economists and the futures market to expecting the official cash rate to increase by 25 basis points to 4.7%.  ...

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Beware of traps before rushing to import with high Australian dollar: Franz Madlener
Friday, 01 October 2010
With the Australian dollar surging to US 97.32 cents overnight, many entrepreneurs will be looking for ways to import cheap stock into Australia. But as Villa & Hutt founder Franz Madlener warns in this special piece for StartUpSmart, there are traps for ...

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Shop around the corner and shop around the world
Monday, 27 September 2010
It has been a busy couple of weeks as we begin the run up to Christmas 2010. In the past week I attended the SmartCompany Smart50 Awards high above Collins Street, Melbourne and spoke at the Retail 2010 Australian Retailers Association (ARA) Conference down ...

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Business groups jostle for attention of new Labor government
Wednesday, 08 September 2010
The uncertainty is over, and now the lobbying can begin. That is the message from Australia's business community, which have welcomed the chance to work with Prime Minister Julia Gillard's new minority Labor government and have already started pushing to a ...

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Retailers Association slams Fair Work for upholding minimum three hour shift requirement
Monday, 12 July 2010
The Australian Retailers Association has blasted Fair Work Australia for upholding a decision to keep retailers beholden to a regulation requiring minimum shifts of three hours, saying it will cost thousands of jobs.  ...

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Collateral damage
Friday, 02 July 2010
Julia Gillard's political nous was clearly on display again this morning when she announced her compromise deal with the mining industry over the resources super profit tax.  ...

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SMEs take a hit from mining tax compromise
Friday, 02 July 2010
The mining sector might be celebrating a compromise with the Government over the Resources Super Profit Tax, but the small and medium business community is unimpressed that a promised 2% cut in the company tax rate has been abandoned.  ...

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