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The National Retail Association (NRA), the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) and the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), are gearing up for another year of working collaboratively on retail crime issues and are open to welcoming new members and attendees. The NRA’s Retail Crime Committee is a longstanding forum which engages closely with Police Forces across the country, retailers and landlords, and key stakeholders such as the Shop Assistants’ Union (SDA), to discuss and resolve retail crime issues, including policy and operational issues, through a collaborative partnership. Sadly, incidences of retail crime – whether they be opportunistic retail theft, violent behaviour, or organised crime – have been increasing with a significant business and community impacts. In their 2023 wrap-up, the following issues were raised by the industry: In locking in their 2024 calendar, the NRA’s Retail Crime Committee meetings will be held across all jurisdictions. This year, new…

In today’s fast-paced, consumer-driven world, understanding your audience is the key to success. Our 2023 Online Consumer Behaviour Global Report takes you on a journey through the minds of today’s shoppers, uncovering their preferences, motivations, and online shopping trends. Whether you’re a brand or a marketplace, our report provides the knowledge you need to make informed, data-driven decisions and drive your strategies forward. Get detailed insights into the shopping habits of global shoppers. Download your copy here. 

The new machines also will carry products for sale as the country’s workforce shrinks. Japan’s FamilyMart has begun using robots to clean floors as the country’s second-largest convenience retailer faces a labor shortage, reported Nikkei Asia. The robots will be rolled out at 300 company-operated stores nationwide by the end of February. According to the company, the move is a first for major convenience stores in Japan. FamilyMart began introducing the robots at some stores in late January and will make them available to franchise locations for a monthly fee from April onward. Each robot cleans the floor five times a day—a task that store staffers do three times a day for a total of about an hour. This will free up time for employees to do such tasks as stocking shelves and training. “As the workforce decreases, we would like to coexist with robots in order to run stores with…

American e-commerce goliath Amazon has become a “critical partner” for a major cross-section of local retailers, a leading retail analyst says, as the company leans towards a projected Australian turnover of $5.5 billion. Investment and advisory group Jarden projects Amazon’s Australian operations will hit that milestone next financial year, The Australian Financial Review reports, some seven years after promising to upheave the e-commerce sector. With the cost of living only rising, shoppers are increasingly open to price comparisons which platforms like Amazon provide, said Ben Gilbert, Jarden’s research lead. High uptake of the Prime membership service suggests further growth is likely, he added. Amazon itself has indicated no signs of slowing down. It has announced plans to recruit 1,000 seasonal logistics and fulfilment staff through the mid-year period, and plans to complete its Perth fulfilment centre in time for the 2023 holiday shopping rush. Amazon growing where others struggle John Batistich, a retail…

The boss of Starbucks Australia is hoping the coffee chain will get renewed attention and investment in dozens of new stores from its billionaire owner Russell Withers now that he has sold his 7-Eleven empire in Australia. Withers, who with his late sister Beverley Barlow built their fortune over decades growing the 7-Eleven chain in Australia, last November agreed to sell the 750-store network for an undisclosed sum to its Japanese parent, 7-Eleven International. Withers also owns Starbucks Australia which expects to expand to more than 100 stores by next year. “The family were very successful in being long-term in their views for building that business around the 7-Eleven brand in Australia for 46 years … They’ve got exactly the same attitude to Starbucks,” said Chris Garlick, the chief executive of Starbucks Australia, which recently turned a profit for the first time in 23 years. “I think our recent performance has…