Thousands of businesses phase-out single-use plastics

The National Retail Association today applauds New South Wales businesses for taking the single-use plastic ban in their stride. From...

The National Retail Association today applauds New South Wales businesses for taking the single-use plastic ban in their stride. From 1 November, the NSW Government is banning single-use items including: Plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, unlidded bowls, and cotton buds Food ware and cups made from expanded polystyrene Rinse-off personal...

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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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NRA represents industry in ensuring furniture and television tip-over safety

Sadly, there have been at least 28 deaths in Australia from toppling furniture and televisions since 2000. Most deaths...

Sadly, there have been at least 28 deaths in Australia from toppling furniture and televisions since 2000. Most deaths involved the toppling of storage furniture such as chests of drawers, televisions, and the furniture that televisions are placed on.   Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) This week, the ACCC consultation sought feedback...

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Button battery mandatory standards come into effect 22 June 2022

The National Retail Association has been heavily involved in ensuring all parties across the supply chain from manufacturers through...

The National Retail Association has been heavily involved in ensuring all parties across the supply chain from manufacturers through to retailers and online suppliers are making responsible decisions about button battery safety when procuring, designing, developing, or retailing button-battery powered devices. In 2016, a multi-stakeholder industry working group devised the...

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Major improvements to mandatory standards regulations

In a major win for Australian businesses and consumers alike, Treasury has announced improvements to mandatory standards regulations that...

In a major win for Australian businesses and consumers alike, Treasury has announced improvements to mandatory standards regulations that will mean trusted international standards will be more easily recognised under Australian Consumer Law (ACL). For years, the the National Retail Association (NRA) has championed retail product safety through our Technical...

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Have your say on the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS)

Assistant Treasurer, the Hon Michael Sukkar today released consultation on Improving the effectiveness of the consumer guarantee and supplier...

Assistant Treasurer, the Hon Michael Sukkar today released consultation on Improving the effectiveness of the consumer guarantee and supplier indemnification provisions under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). The consultation paper includes options for civil prohibitions and penalties for suppliers that fail to provide a consumer guarantees remedy, and manufacturers that...

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Peak retail body brings national focus to nutrition in retail

The National Retail Association (NRA) has welcomed noted accredited practicing dietician, chef and nutritionist, Dr Alan Barclay, as the...

The National Retail Association (NRA) has welcomed noted accredited practicing dietician, chef and nutritionist, Dr Alan Barclay, as the new Health and Nutrition Advisor to support evidence-based advocacy in the Health space. The NRA continues to expand its offerings with this appointment, bringing food service and retailer needs to the...

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Set yourself apart – become a Drone Safety Advocate

The Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is encouraging drone retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to apply and become...

The Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is encouraging drone retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers to apply and become a Drone Safety Advocate, as part of its Know Your Drone safety education campaign. CASA research indicates that an estimated 1.8 million people already own a drone and 1.6 million people intend to purchase...

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Have Your Say: Furniture product safety

The issue Sadly, there have been at least 27 deaths in Australia from toppling furniture and televisions since 2000. Most...

The issue Sadly, there have been at least 27 deaths in Australia from toppling furniture and televisions since 2000. Most deaths involved the toppling of storage furniture such as chests of drawers, televisions, and the furniture that televisions are placed on. While many Australian retailers have been proactive in improving safety...

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ACCC shares button battery safety message

If swallowed, button batteries can become stuck in a child's throat and result in catastrophic injuries in under two...

If swallowed, button batteries can become stuck in a child's throat and result in catastrophic injuries in under two hours and even death. Insertion of button batteries into body orifices such as ears and noses can also lead to significant injuries. Sadly in Australia, one child a month is...

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International merger of ‘cruelty-free’ programs drives retailer and consumer understanding

The National Retail Association (NRA) has applauded the announcement that the two most reputable cruelty-free certification programs, Cruelty Free...

The National Retail Association (NRA) has applauded the announcement that the two most reputable cruelty-free certification programs, Cruelty Free International (CFI) and Choose Cruelty Free Australia (CCF) have merged. David Stout, Director of Policy for the NRA, said that the merger was a positive step towards helping Australian businesses gain...

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World-first Australian cosmetics industry code for animal testing claims

The Australian Government introduced laws to ban the use of data or information from animal tests conducted from 1...

The Australian Government introduced laws to ban the use of data or information from animal tests conducted from 1 July 2020 for cosmetics. Accord Australasia has today launched a Voluntary Industry Code of Practice to Support the Australian Ban on Testing Cosmetics on Animals aims to provide consistency and clarity...

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