Continued uncertainty over carbon pricing may help to explain why Australians are keeping their hands in their pockets, according to Margy Osmond, CEO of Australian National Retailers Association. Commenting on the Government’s carbon price announcement, Osmond said that consumer confidence “is at a two year low and retail figures have reflected that. “Much of the uncertainty around the carbon price may now lesson, but the negativity of the ‘anti’ campaign will continue... ...Read more »

The Federal Government has been told to learn from an “episode of waste and mismanagement” in reference to the GroceryChoice debacle, while the role of the ACCC has come under fire. A leading retail representative has also been criticised in a Senate Inquiry report, with calls for an investigation into a possible breach of the Trade Practices Act. The Inquiry had been launched to look at the handling of the price monitoring website GroceryChoice, an election promise of the Rudd Government. The... ...Read more »

A war of words is erupting between consumer group Choice and the leading representative of the major supermarket chains during a Senate inquiry into the failure of the GROCERYChoice website. GROCERYChoice, an election commitment of the Rudd Government, was aborted in June just days before Choice was set to launch a revamped version of the site. An inquiry was launched to determine how much taxpayer money was wasted on the scheme and whether or not the major supermarkets exerted an influence on the... ...Read more »

Retailers have welcomed the support of Deputy Prime Minister and Employment Minister Julia Gillard for a five year transition to higher penalty rates under the modern retail award. “The Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement today will ease some of the pressure on retailers who are doing all they can to retain staff,” Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) CEO Margy Osmond suggested. “ANRA commends the Deputy Prime Minister for responding to employers’ concerns.” Retailers... ...Read more »

The Federal Government’s unit pricing* Code of Conduct becomes operable today, with retailers given until 1 December 2009 to display unit pricing on food based grocery items. The Australian National Retailers Association, which represents Coles, Woolworths and Franklins, said today that many supermarkets had already made the move ahead of schedule. “Thousands of every day grocery items across the country’s largest supermarkets already display unit prices,” ANRA CEO Margy Osmond... ...Read more »

The 2009-2010 Federal Budget takes a long-term and hopeful view of Australia’s powers of recovery. It is a ‘dig deep and hope the recession ends soon’ approach, according to the Australian National Retailer’s Association (ANRA) – which represents major retailers including Coles, Woolworths and Franklins. “In a climate of confused and dramatically altered consumer confidence, retailers needed to see initiatives to stimulate the flagging optimism of Australians,”... ...Read more »

Australians have taken their love of chocolate to a whole new level this Easter as they find solace in comfort foods, the Australian National Retailers Association has advised. “Retailers are experiencing double digit growth in sales of all things chocolate this year,” ANRA CEO, Margy Osmond, reported. “The talk of rising unemployment and economic doom and gloom, certainly has its effects on people’s morale, and treats like chocolates help provide that much needed boost.” “Our... ...Read more »

Lower interest rates and the first economic stimulus package have helped shore up jobs in the retail industry, according to an analysis of new ABS jobs data, the Australian National Retailers Association said today. ANRA, which represents a number of Australia’s largest retail organisations including supermarket chains Coles, Woolworths and Franklins, reported that growth in the number of retail job losses had begun to subside. “The ABS Labour Force figures for the February quarter show... ...Read more »

The retail sector may have shed up to 8,000 full-time jobs in February, the Australian National Retailers Association said today, while the fast-food sector will soon face a significant rise in labour costs. The latest unemployment figures released from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show unemployment has risen to 5.2% with 53,800 full-time jobs lost. The retail sector employs 15% of the Australian workforce. “Retail jobs are the most vulnerable when there is a loss of confidence in the... ...Read more »

The Australian National Retailers Association, which represents the likes of Coles, Woolworths and Franklins, is advocating a national plan for payroll tax relief which they believe could assist cash strapped employers save up to 55,000 jobs. ANRA CEO Margy Osmond wrote to the Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers two weeks ago proposing a national plan which would cut payroll tax to a uniform rate of 4%. “Cash payments to households and infrastructure spending will stimulate the economy,... ...Read more »