Dismissals can be stressful and risky

by Angela Szczepanski, Senior Associate, NRA Legal Dismissing an employee can be stressful and is often quoted as the 'worst...

by Angela Szczepanski, Senior Associate, NRA Legal Dismissing an employee can be stressful and is often quoted as the 'worst part of running a business'. As well as the emotional context, it can be a long and timely process to ensure due process is followed. In particular, special care needs to...

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Message from the CEO: 28 December 2016

Boxing Day has lived up to being retail’s event of the year with increases seen in each state and...

Boxing Day has lived up to being retail’s event of the year with increases seen in each state and territory across the country. Nationally, consumers have spent around $2.28 billion nationwide in the Boxing Day sales, which is up from $2.19 billion on last year. We have certainly seen economy-wide...

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Tips for optimising online sales

Optimising online sales: How to convert lookers to purchasers There are many good reasons for selling your products or services...

Optimising online sales: How to convert lookers to purchasers There are many good reasons for selling your products or services online. Most importantly, selling online increases your market reach, exposes your product to new customer groups, and creates opportunities to increase your overall sales revenue. However, just because you offer an...

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Record-breaking Boxing Day bonanza on the cards for Aussie retailers

MEDIA RELEASE The National Retail Association (NRA) has today predicted Australian consumers will spend a record-breaking $2.28 billion when the...

MEDIA RELEASE The National Retail Association (NRA) has today predicted Australian consumers will spend a record-breaking $2.28 billion when the roller doors go up this Boxing Day – the highest in Australia’s retail history. NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said shoppers this year were on track to spend around $100 million more...

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Message from the CEO: 19 December 2016

I know that you are all operating at a frantic pace in the days leading up to Christmas and...

I know that you are all operating at a frantic pace in the days leading up to Christmas and I have been pleased to see the increase in foot traffic throughout the nation as I travel around. Since my appointment as NRA CEO in July this year, I have greatly...

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Gen X dominates online spend

Online shopping is not, it seems, the exclusive domain of teenagers and Gen Y, according to a report by Quantium. Online...

Online shopping is not, it seems, the exclusive domain of teenagers and Gen Y, according to a report by Quantium. Online spending is dominated by the 35 to 44 year old market Although those aged 35-44 make up approximately 17.2% of the adult population, their share of online spend is the highest at 24.2%....

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How’s your security?

If your retail business has little to no security policy in place, you run the risk of security breaches...

If your retail business has little to no security policy in place, you run the risk of security breaches which can cost time, money, consumer trust and can result in legal actions. What are the 4 main motivations for retailers to adopt security practices? Protection of operational systems (eg. system shutdown) A...

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FWO blitz targets Ballarat without warning

by Victoria Hansen, Lawyer, NRA Legal The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) deployed an unannounced campaign in Ballarat this week to address...

by Victoria Hansen, Lawyer, NRA Legal The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) deployed an unannounced campaign in Ballarat this week to address concerns regarding potential non-compliance with Commonwealth workplace laws. The FWO campaign had a particular focus on businesses in the retail, fast food and hospitality industries and conducted more than 50 visits...

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Retailers & Government work together on plastic bag ban

The National Retail Association and the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are working closely to ensure that...

The National Retail Association and the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are working closely to ensure that Queensland’s proposed plastic bag ban is implemented with as little inconvenience to retailers and consumers as possible. The state-wide ban on the supply of lightweight plastic shopping bags is due to...

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Message from the CEO: 12 December 2016

Earlier in the week, GDP figures were released for the September quarter which showed a contraction of 0.5 per...

Earlier in the week, GDP figures were released for the September quarter which showed a contraction of 0.5 per cent for the Australian economy. While it certainly isn’t time to hit the panic buttons just yet, this should serve as a reminder to all of us in the retail industry...

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Technology retailer under fire for ‘misleading’ Returns Policy

by Ben Desir, NRA Legal Workplace Advisor The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has instituted proceedings for misleading and...

by Ben Desir, NRA Legal Workplace Advisor The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has instituted proceedings for misleading and deceptive conduct against a technology retailer. The ACCC has accused several entities operating under the MSY Technology banner of misrepresenting consumers’ rights to remedies for faulty products, by claiming that: MSY...

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Have your say on tourism workforce plans

Jobs Queensland is developing a Queensland Tourism Workforce Plan aimed at ensuring Queensland has a skilled workforce ready to...

Jobs Queensland is developing a Queensland Tourism Workforce Plan aimed at ensuring Queensland has a skilled workforce ready to support a growing and thriving tourism industry. To do this, Jobs Queensland are working with the Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, and also inviting employers and...

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Online sales for takeaway food grow dramatically

According to a report by Quantium, homewares, groceries, media, and fashion continue to dominate total spend of online retail,...

According to a report by Quantium, homewares, groceries, media, and fashion continue to dominate total spend of online retail, but the fastest growth is in takeaway food. Share of spend The top 4 categories - homewares, groceries, media, and fashion - account for 70% of the total amount of online spending...

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Retail Sales Analysis: Nov 2016

by Aaron Blackman CEO of Retail Express. Key insights across the retail industry from November 2016 November 2016 VS October 2016 Sporting...

by Aaron Blackman CEO of Retail Express. Key insights across the retail industry from November 2016 November 2016 VS October 2016 Sporting takes a dive in November sales Given the exceptional performance of all retail sectors last month, it’s not surprising that many retailers didn’t follow the same upward trend this month. Sporting...

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Workplace bullying on the rise

by Meaghan Spencer, NRA Legal Workplace Advisor Results from a study conducted by Australian Workplace Barometer Project have revealed that...

by Meaghan Spencer, NRA Legal Workplace Advisor Results from a study conducted by Australian Workplace Barometer Project have revealed that bullying is prevalent and on the rise in workplaces across Australia. A worker is bullied at work if an individual or a group of individuals repeatedly behaves unreasonably towards the worker,...

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Employer incentives of $20,000 available now in regional QLD

Don't miss out! Remember that Queensland employers have an additional incentive to hire local young people this festive season. As announced...

Don't miss out! Remember that Queensland employers have an additional incentive to hire local young people this festive season. As announced in early November, the Queensland Government is offering a offering a $20,000 kick-back for regional businesses who hire unemployed youths as part of their Back to Work 'Youth Boost' Program. The...

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