Anxiety tends to heighten for retailers during elections as people traditionally stop spending in the leadup to the ballot. But waiting for customers to get over the fear of the unknown will not pay rents or wages. It’s times like these retailers need to build connections to weather downturns such as campaign-induced spending inertia.
Building connections was a key part of last week’s NRXpo, held in Sydney at the International Convention Centre. The event was a great success, with attendees describing the day as authentic, passionate, and powerful. One of the most valuable parts of being a member of a leading industry association is the chance to meet and network with like-minded retailers and be inspired by what others are doing. As the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer indicated, customers are looking to business leaders more than media or politicians for leadership, and events like the NRXpo help set the agenda for the future of retail.
I’d like to invite all of our members to join me at 10:30am AEST on Monday for a Town Hall discussion on the outcome of the federal election. We will be discussing the policies of whichever party secures the vote, and outline the needs of retail to present to the government. You can register to attend this member-exclusive Town Hall here.
In other news, we are delighted to announce that we have added to our already strong leadership team by appointing two esteemed industry figures to our Board. Anthony Wilson and Rhys Reynolds will bring a wealth of knowledge to our already unrivalled understanding of all aspects of the retail sector.
Anthony Wilson is Chair of the Surf and Boardsports Industry Association of Australia, and also the director of the Wilson Retail Group, a proud parent company to multi-award winning retail brands. Rhys Reynolds is the Australia and New Zealand Communications Manager of Subway Australia with expertise in the hospitality and quick-service restaurant sector. We will be profiling our new Board members over the next few weeks.
Anthony and Rhys both bring with them impressive CVs that will benefit not only the NRA team I lead, but more importantly each of you. As we emerge from the pandemic and face a new series of challenges, both are strongly connected to the realities of modern retail, including the opportunities in the Australian retail business environment. I feel confident in saying that I believe that our new Board members will make an impressive contribution and I look forward to working with them to advance the interests of retail.
All the best for the week ahead.
Dominique Lamb
Chief Executive Officer