With retail crime of increasing concern, the ARA is pleased to build on its important work in this area with the appointment of a dedicated Retail Crime Adviser. Larissa Mallison comes with a rich heritage of working within government and will work in a focused way with our members, authorities and government on tackling this concerning trend.
Larissa will work closely with our Retail Crime Committee in particular but will also engage our broader membership in the coming months.
There is little doubt that we’re experiencing one of the most challenging periods in history for retailers in Australia. Our small business retail community remains particularly vulnerable.
The ARA is pleased to help drive and inform efforts to support this community with the launch of the inaugural Small Retail Index in collaboration with our principal partner American Express. This regular report serves as a health check of small and medium sized businesses across Australia. The results show areas of resilience, but also of significant concern.
The ARA will be leveraging this data to continue advocating with government for changes to best support small businesses. You can read the report here.
Whilst this year is marked by ongoing change, sustainability remains one of the most critical future focuses for our sector. The ARA has long advocated for the importance of collaboration between industry and government in this vital space and we are pleased to see continued progress in this area. This week the Federal Government announced a new $60 million hard-to-recycle plastics fund – to upgrade and build new recycling infrastructure. The announcement of the fund comes after the recent decision to implement national standards and design rules for packaging, as well as the continued rollout of state-by-state single use plastics bans.
With the profound shifts in environmental challenges and customer expectations, retailers have a strong appetite to reduce waste and embrace sustainability. This announcement serves as a strong reassurance for retailers, that the Federal Government is working collaboratively to support this transition to a circular economy.
