Retail
Today, over 20 small business association leaders are convening at Parliament House to make their case for the adoption of the hotly debated effects test into Australian competition law. Put simply, the effects test, proposed by the Harper competition review, seeks to amend section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act by targeting business behaviour that […]
After 6 years in the making, Microsoft has confirmed the opening date of its first flagship stores in Sydney and New York. The Sydney store, opening on November 12th, will be located at Westfield on Pitt Street Mall giving customers and business the opportunity to experience the latest technology from Microsoft and its partners. Some of the […]
Bigcommerce, a commerce platform that provides established and emerging brands with everything they need to launch, promote, manage and scale a successful online store has today announced a partnership with Twitter. Through the partnership, Bigcommerce will support Buy Now, a new sales conversion tool that enables merchants to promote and sell products natively across the […]
Launching your brand internationally is a growth strategy that follows from success. But success in one market shouldn’t be construed as a right of passage to success in another. The failure of Starbucks in their attempt to import an Americanised version of ‘coffee culture’ into Australia, a country already au fait with it’s coffee habits, […]
Have you ever travelled, offered to bring something back and ended up with a shopping list and half your luggage allowance already accounted for? For Alex Hsu, this was an all too common predicament. Frequently travelling to the US for his IT business trading computer parts, Alex became inundated with requests for running shoes, typically […]
With exposure to a wider customer base, lower overheads, greater choice and more competitive prices, the benefits of online retailing are obvious. Online is the birth place for many emerging retailers while the bricks and mortar sector strive to ‘get with the game’. But it wasn’t always this clear. John Winning, CEO of Winning Group, […]
Black Velvet is a Melbourne based boutique roastery and espresso bar that supplies quality beans to cafes and home baristas alike. Their second store based in the Galleria on Bourke St, which opened two months ago is already doing a roaring trade with thanks to the teams’ refocus on data and analytics to power and […]
At Heal.Thy Self Co. in Melbourne’s Yarraville neighbourhood owners Electra Tomasino and Dylan Davies believe that people thrive when they consume a diet based on whole foods straight from the earth. Her store offers plant-based, free range, organic, ethical and sustainable produce and can cater to almost anyone with wide-dietary requirements. “We’re focused on seasonal produce […]
In a move that could be regarded as inconsistent with previous rhetoric showing support for small business, the Government has resolved to defer reforms that would strengthen section 46 of the Competition Act with the implementation of an ’Effects Test’. The reforms proposed by Small Business Minister, the Hon Bruce Billson were designed to stop […]
After a joint investigation by Fairfax and Four Corners uncovering widespread underpayment of staff by 7-Eleven franchisees, 7-Eleven has said in a statement that it will pursue franchisees to repay money owed to present and former staff. Chief Executive Officer, Warren Wilmot said “the viability of the 7-Eleven system is in no way, never has […]
7-Eleven store owner and operator, Harmandeep Singh Sarkaria will face the Federal Circuit Court over allegations that he underpaid two migrant workers almost $50,000 and created erroneous records for the workers. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) who initiated the legal proceedings has alleged that Mr Sarkaria short-changed one migrant employee from Pakistan $43,633 between 2012 […]
SMEs in the food industry have traditionally turned to free samples, displays and one-off advertisements to entice customers. Now, business owners are turning to Instagram to wet the appetite of foodies all over Australia – and it’s taking them by storm. With 36 per cent of Australian Instagrammers following foodie accounts according to recent Aussies […]
An online retailer of kitchen appliances including Omniblend blenders, has been ordered to pay a pecuniary penalty of $17,500 for aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring overseas supplier, Taiwan Star International (TSI), to engage in resale price maintenance. The Federal Court of Australia found that TSI sought to induce Omniblend’s competitor not to sell OmniBlend blenders […]
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has expressed its dismay at the Victorian Government’s decision to introduce two new public holidays for the state. The public holidays on Grand Final Day and Easter Sunday will increase Victoria’s public holidays to 13 per year. The ARA have said many retailers will be forced to close their doors […]
Customer service is a simple concept to grasp. Serve your customers well and they’ll come back, don’t serve them and they’ll go elsewhere. Despite the simplicity the latter is happening. Business is embracing self service to reduce overheads leaving frustrated customers to do all the work. I’m horrified that by 2017 it’s predicted two thirds […]
Technology is levelling the playing field for small business. Access to world-leading systems is no longer just for large companies with big budgets. Today small businesses including retailers can easily arm themselves with intuitive, bleeding-edge tools to compete with the Goliaths in their industry. This is all thanks to the cloud. Cloud-based services are having […]
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has said that penalty rates must be reduced to support further retail growth. This comes as retail figures for June 2015 have shown further growth while the Productivity Commission has opened discussion on the matter of penalty rates. Retail trade figures for June 2015 grew by 4.9 per cent year […]
From humble beginnings, Dean Ramler has turned his startup, Milan Direct, into Australia’s number one online furniture retailer. He shares his expert opinion and advice around starting, growing and staying competitive in the market. When you start a business, you’re so focused on the day to day that it’s difficult to step back and look […]
Operators of comparator websites and businesses whose products are listed on them have been targeted in new guidance released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The guidance seeks to help consumers understand how to get the best outcomes when using comparator websites as well as providing guidance to business on how to comply […]
Relaxing on a beach in Mexico might not be where most would expect to find the business venture of their lifetime but for engineer, Drew Bilbe, that’s exactly what happened. In 2010 while enjoying a glass of cold ice tea on a beach in Rio Nexpa, Drew felt inspired to create his own natural, low […]
