Inside Retail

MARCH 7, 2024

Australian families are projected to spend $2.05 billion on hot cross buns, Easter eggs, and other special foods this coming Easter season – an increase of 23.5 per cent, or nearly $400 million more than last year. Easter remains a flagship event on the retail calendar, with research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in association with Roy Morgan revealing that 17.3 million Australians plan to buy Easter food and chocolate, up 1 million from the previous year.

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Inside Retail

MARCH 7, 2024

Situated in Newcastle’s premier east end, The Station is a 1ha heritage icon property primely positioned for new development and available for long-term lease. The site is zoned for tourism and hospitality, located within walking distance of central public transport, the city’s harbour, beaches and a growing residential hub. A destination rich in history Originally constructed in 1858, the former train station stands as a modern artifact reflecting the long-gone era of detailed Victorian archite

Architecture 130

Architecture Reimagine Outdoor Expansion 130

Inside Retail

MARCH 6, 2024

Victoria’s Secret & Co has seen signs of recovery as sales and net income edged up in the fourth quarter following a period of declines. The company reported net income of US$181 million for the 14-week ended February 3, compared to net income of $173 million for the 13-week fourth quarter of FY22. Net sales were up 3 per cent year-on-year to $2.082 billion, while total comparable sales decreased 6 per cent.

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Gifts Consumer Accessories Accessories 130

Inside Retail

MARCH 6, 2024

The National Designer Award is a defining industry event in the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival programme. Now in its 28th year, the award has earned a reputation for picking “the future of Australian fashion”. The prestigious award has previously gone to designers of considerable renown, including but not limited to Dion Lee, Christopher Esber, Romance Was Born, P.E Nation, Alemais and Toni Maticevski.

Fashion 130

Fashion Perspective Design Tailored 130

Inside Retail

MARCH 7, 2024

Spirit subscription service Liquor Loot has collapsed into administration as the company was reportedly struggling with cash flow. Liquor Loot and two related entities have appointed Jirsch Sutherland’s Andrew Spring and Trent Devine as joint administrators. An early assessment of the business suggests the retailer was facing challenges related to its cash flow, Spring told SmartCompany.

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Flow Expansion Planning Consumer 279

Inside Retail

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Electronics and appliance retailer JB Hi-Fi reported total sales of $5.16 billion for the six months ended December 31, down from $5.3 billion year on year. The company’s net profit after tax was $264.3 million compared to last year’s $330 million. Sales in Australia were flat, up only 0.7 per cent to $3.62 billion, with comparable sales up 0.1 per cent.

Consumer 263

Consumer Marketing 263

Inside Retail

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Dr Sam Prince, the founder of restaurant chain Zambrero, is suing former CEO Stuart Cook for misleading or deceptive conduct. A former medical student turned entrepreneur, Prince founded Zambrero in 2005 and brought Cook on board four years later. Cook left the Mexican fast-food chain in 2015 and sold his shares in the business. He has since founded an advisory firm (TWIYO) The World Is Your Oyster, and with his wife Samantha launched a fast food venture, Flave.

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 28, 2024

American fast-food chain Chipotle made headlines last Wednesday when it announced it would be providing updated benefits for its approximately 110,000 employees and the upcoming surge of workers it is planning to hire this year. Over the next few months, Chipotle plans to hire about 19,000 new employees to prepare for its busiest period of the year – from March to May, which famously has been dubbed “burrito season”.

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Planning Apparel Balance Other 130

Inside Retail

JANUARY 28, 2024

Shein will launch its first Brisbane pop-up, the online fashion and lifestyle retailer’s sixth pop-up store in Australia. The new shop follows the successful pop-up launches in Sydney and Melbourne. “We look forward to celebrating summer with Shein fans at our beach club-themed pop-up, inspired by the sun-kissed beaches in Australia,” said a spokesperson for Shein.

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Accessories Accessories Apparel Fashion 243

Inside Retail

JANUARY 28, 2024

Woolworths has flagged weaker performance of its New Zealand food operations and Big W businesses in the first half of the current fiscal year. The supermarket chain forecasts its New Zealand unit to book $65.7 million (NZ$71 million) in earnings before interest and taxes, down 42 per cent from a year ago. This includes about $12 million of costs associated with the transformation of Woolworths New Zealand.

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Balance Planning 226

Inside Retail

JANUARY 23, 2024

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and retailers are already gearing up for one of the most commercially viable days of the shopping year. While Valentine’s Day has traditionally been marketed towards those in romantic relationships, efforts to broaden the scope of the holiday to include friends, pets and even oneself, have created new opportunities for a wider range of businesses to get involved.

Jewelry 130

Jewelry Engagement Consumer Gifts 130

Inside Retail

JANUARY 23, 2024

In a climate-conscious society, brands are looking to become more sustainable for many different reasons, and businesses across sectors, from fashion to furniture to fast-moving consumer goods, are exploring the circular economy as part of this. Almost 200 countries have signed the Paris Accord to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, Australia being one of them.

Fashion 130

Fashion Consumer Apparel Space 130

Inside Retail

JANUARY 23, 2024

Leading luxury travel retailer T Galleria by DFS is marking the first anniversary of its opening at The Londoner Macao with a dazzling array of festivities for brands and consumers alike. The celebration kicked off in style with a cake-cutting ceremony at DFS in December last year. To add an extra touch of magic to the Christmas season, DFS introduced exclusive winter promotions and reward activities for its patrons.

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 23, 2024

Swiish takes an inside-out approach to wellness with its supplement range and now it has extended its holistic approach to beauty with a skincare range. Swiish was founded by sisters Sally Obermeder and Maha Corbett in 2016 with a single superfood powder; now, they offer dozens of acclaimed products. “Swiish stands out because we are leaders, not followers.

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Beauty and Health Consumer Line Promotion 256

Inside Retail

JANUARY 23, 2024

Korean restaurant chain Gami Chicken and Beer saw its sales more than doubled in the second half of last year, upon the introduction of healthier menu options. The restaurant, first launched in 2006, saw sales growth of 172 per cent from June to December, thanks to the addition of individual menu items. Sales of the individual items surged 152 per cent during the period. “Gami Chicken has gradually introduced individual menu items such as Bibimbap, Kkochi Salad, Gochujang Chicken, and a Ga

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 23, 2024

Pureplay, listed online retailer Kogan said its gross sales fell in the first half of the current fiscal year amid inventory reduction as the company continues its evolution into a more light-capital business. Kogan’s gross sales fell 5.6 per cent year over year to $445.4 million in the first half ended December 31 last year. However, gross profit increased 42.1 per cent to $89.5 million and gross margin improved to 36 per cent.

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Light 260

Inside Retail

JANUARY 18, 2024

Like many entrepreneurs, Pepe Villatoro didn’t like to talk about his failures – at least, not without mentioning the successes that came after. But one night in Mexico City, fuelled by a few drinks, he and a group of friends decided to share their worst business failures , and Villatoro experienced a powerful sense of freedom. He realised that Silicon Valley’s “fail fast” mentality had popularised the idea of failure as a learning opportunity but not addressed the enduring stigma attached to i

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Perspective Promotion Other Space 130

Inside Retail

JANUARY 19, 2024

Cyber-skulduggery is becoming the bane of modern life. Australia’s prime minister has called it a “ scourge ”, and he is correct. In 2022–23, nearly 94,000 cyber crimes were reported in Australia, up 23 per cent on the previous year. In the latest high-profile attack , around 15,000 customers of alcohol retailer Dan Murphy, Mexican restaurant chain Guzman y Gomez, Event Cinemas, and home shopping network TVSN had their login credentials and credit card details used fraudulently to buy goods and

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 19, 2024

Burger brand Grill’d is partnering with former tennis World Number 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Ash Barty to launch a limited-edition range of Barty Burgers. The burger chain will also donate $100,000 to the newly launched Ash Barty Foundation, through its Local Matters program. The goal is to make a positive impact on the lives of young Aussies through sport and education initiatives.

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 19, 2024

Growing demand for healthy food and skin is driving the global acai berry market, which was valued at US$6.3 billion in 2022 and is on a solid growth trajectory to reach US$21.7 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 12.4 per cent, according to Prophecy Market Insights. With a vast range of health benefits attributed to acai berries, businesses across industries are tapping into this superfood and getting creative with how they serve it up to consumers.

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Inside Retail

JANUARY 8, 2024

From Shein to Chanel, Skims to Supreme, more and more retailers seem to be investing in temporary brick-and-mortar locations, more commonly known as pop-up shops. The use of temporary retail spaces is certainly not a new concept, it has been around for centuries. But the term pop-up is relatively recent. It can be traced back to the late ’90s, when, in 1997, media entrepreneur Patrick Courrielche launched an event in Los Angeles dubbed The Ritual Expo, bringing together music, fashion, and food

Engagement 130

Engagement Shopping Artistic Marketing 130

Inside Retail

JANUARY 9, 2024

Pureplay fashion retailer The Iconic has committed to refund customers after fraudulent orders were made on their accounts. The online merchant said that it saw an increase in fraudulent login attempts on its site but denied any data breach, or ‘hack’ “We have recently seen an increase in fraudulent account login attempts on The Iconic, which our security and fraud teams continue to actively manage, in conjunction with our security partners,” a spokesperson said in a stat

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Fashion Management Accessories Accessories 276

Inside Retail

DECEMBER 13, 2023

With Zara-owner Inditex and H&M set to disclose their most recent sales results, investors will be focused on one major question: how are the two fast-fashion pioneers responding to the current market leader, Shein? Shein has a huge valuation and is primed for an IPO. With sales almost entirely online, the retailer generated about US$23 billion in global revenue in 2022, according to research firm Coresight.

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Fashion Consumer Apparel Accessories 130

Inside Retail

DECEMBER 13, 2023

When consumers search for holiday content online and in stores, they are still more likely than not to encounter Christmas-themed movies, home decor and gifting items. But that is beginning to change, as American institutions increasingly embrace multicultural festivities. According to a report by global data and business intelligence platform Statista , retail sales over the 2023 holiday season are projected to be between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion, a marked jump from $929.5 billion in r

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Inside Retail

DECEMBER 13, 2023

With a crackdown on single-use face wipes imminent, Australian beauty brand Conserving Beauty has a patented solution for the industry’s waste problem. The personal care and beauty industry is estimated to produce 120 billion units of packaging every year, according to recycling company TerraCycle. The waste generated by the beauty industry is an ugly secret and it shows no signs of slowing down.

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Consumer Marketing Design 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Evelyn Tay is the VP of communications and public affairs for sustainability at Foodpanda for the APAC region. She brings over 20 years of global PR and marketing communications experience across Asia, the US and Europe. We caught up with her recently to get her thoughts on career paths, leadership skills and what makes her tick. She likes to think of herself as a “ferocious traveller” (Bhutan was her favourite destination) who loves football, Formula One and the Olympics.

Balance 130

Balance Management Hobbies Social Media 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

In the fast-paced world of fashion, where trends come and go, one timeless wardrobe staple continues to capture the hearts of consumers: denim. But behind the classic appeal of denim lies a hidden environmental cost that the industry can no longer ignore. Fabrica X, the impact retail store operated by The Mills Fabrica , has a new campaign, ‘Denim Futures,’ which aims to shed light on the future of sustainable denim and revolutionise the way people think about their favourite pair of jeans.

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Concept Apparel Consumer Light 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

The 7-Eleven Australia convenience store chain has been sold for $1.71 billion to 7-Eleven International (7IN) a joint venture of the brand’s Japanese-listed parent Seven & I and the US business. The Withers and Barlow families which own 7-Eleven in Australia have been looking to sell the business since early this year and there were reports they were hoping to secure as much as $2 billion for it.

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Management Marketing Other 277

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 26, 2023

Holiday shoppers in the US are seeking out the best deals and strategically nabbing the deepest discounts ahead of Cyber Monday, according to data from retailer websites aggregated by third parties. Cyber Monday, the first Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, is set to be the biggest US online shopping day of the year as merchants have stepped up online promotions.

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Pattern Flow Promotion Merchandising 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

After announcing their joint venture in July, Alpro Group , the pioneering force behind Malaysia’s largest prescription pharmacy chain, Alpro Pharmacy, and Sugi Holdings, a renowned Japanese pharmacy chain boasting 1,600 stores in Japan, have officially unveiled the first Alpro Sugi Pharmacy in Malaysia. Located at The Starling Mall, a contemporary shopping centre in Petaling Jaya, west of Kuala Lumpur, this Japanese-style drugstore spanning 3,888 sqft marks a significant stride in the evo

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Beauty and Health Concept Location Consumer 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

We speak with Levi Strauss & Co’s chief digital officer Jason Gowans about getting the fundamentals of e-commerce right, the latest technologies he is most excited to tap into, and what Gen Z really wants. Inside Retail : You joined Levi Strauss & Co earlier this year and are overseeing the company’s push into digital. Can you share some of the areas that you’ve been focusing on?

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Tailored Consumer Shopping Location 246

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

In the world of condiments, few have garnered as much attention in recent years as hot sauce. From the growth of sriracha to the popularity of the Hot Ones YouTube series, where celebrities are interviewed while eating some of the world’s hottest sauces, hot sauce has become more than a food item – it’s a pop culture phenomenon. And increasingly, it’s big business.

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Marketing Space Planning 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Waste from at least 19 international brands including Adidas and Walmart is being used to fuel kilns in brick factories in Cambodia, and some workers were falling ill, according to a report by a local rights group released on Monday. The report by The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, commonly known by its French acronym LICADHO, was based on visits to 21 brick factories in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and neighbouring Kandal province between April and September

Other 147

Other Apparel Management Promotion 147

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has unveiled that this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday extravaganza will account for more than a quarter of all holiday transactions, with price-conscious customers doing their research to discover the greatest offers. ARA’s Salesforce report reveals that online shopping traffic is up 5 per cent year on year but has not resulted in a big increase in revenues.

Shopping 130

Shopping Strategy 130

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Australian footwear brand Frankie4 has opened its first permanent retail store in the US, at the Bellevue Collection in Washington. The podiatrist-founded footwear retailer has nine stores in Australia and decided to open the Washington store after the success of its pop-up store at the Bellevue Square last spring and summer. The 1844sqft store, designed by JPC Architects, features live plants and a curated collection of coffee table books by renowned Australian photographer, Kara Rosenlund. 

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Curate Design Strategy Accessories 264

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker has opened a whisky-tasting space named Johnnie Walker Blue Room at Pitt Street Mall. The Blue Room allows visitors to taste the flavours of Johnnie Walker’s range including the Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Guests can also learn more about the brand’s history, browse its most popular premium selection, and purchase limited quantities of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Elusive Umami ahead of its official launch next year.

Gifts 262

Gifts Space Location Management 262

Inside Retail

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall has maintained its eighth spot in the rankings of the world’s most expensive retail strips. Pitt Street Mall has a rent of US$747 per sqft per year and is the only Australian destination included in the global top 10 list, based on Cushman & Wakefield’s Main Streets Across the World report. In Asia Pacific, Pitt Street Mall ranked fifth while Melbourne’s Bourke Street ranked 18th with a rent of $329.

Fashion 286

Fashion 286