Today, the ARA hosted a high impact conversation around Sustainability and Innovation to a sold-out breakfast audience in Melbourne.
We have long regarded sustainability as the greatest disruptor retail has ever seen. Equally it holds the power to be one of the greatest forces for innovation and reinvention of our sector.
It was thrilling to hear from some of our leaders who are pioneers and innovators within this space. We look forward to sharing some of those insights with members who were unable to attend. Special thanks to Afterpay who supported this conversation as event partner.
Event photo gallery is here.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics retail trade data for July was released on Monday, and the results were a continuation of the recent trend.
We’re seeing a clear delineation between spending on essentials and discretionary goods, with food continuing to record growth mainly due to unavoidable price increases while other categories remain in decline.
Once again, the most significant year-on-year sales increases came from food spending (up 4.9%) and cafes, restaurants, and takeaway (up 9.0%).
All other categories recorded negative sales growth for the second consecutive month, with household goods again recording the biggest decline (down 4.9%), clothing, footwear and accessories (down 0.3%) and Department stores (down 0.05%).
Hopefully Father’s Day trading will bring some relief for the industry in the August and September results.
Importantly, today Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum will be held on Saturday, October 14 in what promises to be a significant day for Australian history. The ARA supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a referendum to establish a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution.
