Inside Retail Australia
Asia-Pacific retail news and insights.
How Chow Tai Fook Deploys Star Power and Design to Counter Domestic Disruptors
Chow Tai Fook, the 97‑year‑old Hong Kong jewellery giant with over 5,000 stores and HK$122 billion market cap, is launching a creative‑driven offensive to fend off fast‑growing domestic rivals such as Laopu Gold and Luk Fook. The group hired David Tse, a former creative director for Burberry, Uniqlo and Hermès China, to reshape its brand identity across product, retail and digital touchpoints. It also signed Chinese actor Yang Yang as a global ambassador and is rolling out newly designed flagship stores in Singapore, Bangkok, and soon in Australia, Canada and the Middle East. The moves aim to translate the brand’s heritage into a “global Chinese luxury” narrative that resonates with younger, culturally‑savvy consumers worldwide.
“Zero Fear of Failure”: Inside Prabal Gurung’s Business Playbook
Luxury designer Prabal Gurung frames fashion as empathy‑driven storytelling, emphasizing that power should be soft rather than hard. His latest collection, “Home Sweet Home: The Book of Magic,” celebrates resilience and community, drawing inspiration from women in Nepal and India....
Guzman Y Gomez Leadership Prepares for CEO’s Kidney Transplant
Guzman y Gomez co‑CEO Hilton Brett is preparing for a kidney transplant later this year, prompting a temporary reduction in his day‑to‑day duties. The board has publicly supported Brett, confirming he will remain in his co‑CEO role while senior leadership...
KMD Brands Seeks Goldman Sachs’ Help for Major Recapitalisation
KMD Brands, the parent of Kathmandu, Rip Curl and Oboz, has engaged Goldman Sachs to advise on a major recapitalisation of its assets. The move follows an early‑stage transformation plan and a recent trading update that lifted sales forecasts for Kathmandu....
How T2 Is Balancing Retail Growth with Financial Discipline
T2’s CFO Krista Diez‑Simson explained how the premium tea retailer is pairing expansion with tight financial discipline. New concepts such as a reimagined QVB flagship and a unified commerce platform are only pursued when they meet strict ROI and payback...
Fashion Council, RM Williams Table ‘Globally Competitive’ Fashion Strategy
The Australian Fashion Council and RM Williams unveiled a ten‑year National Manufacturing Strategy aimed at building a globally competitive fashion and textile sector in Australia. The plan responds to the industry's vulnerability, highlighted by Middle‑East conflicts, and seeks to shift the...
How Can Long-Tail Landing Pages Cut Digital Ad Spend?
Digital advertisers face soaring costs on broad, high‑competition search terms, prompting retailers to explore long‑tail keywords. By building dedicated landing pages for niche queries such as “round wooden coffee table,” brands can secure cheaper clicks and higher Quality Scores. The...
Why Retailers Can’t Escape Responsibility for AI Chatbots
Australian retailers are rapidly rolling out generative AI chatbots for customer service, pricing and loyalty, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) warns that under Australian Consumer Law the retailer remains liable for any misleading or unsafe bot responses....
Coles Makes ‘Tough Decision’ to Close Pet Retailer Swaggle
Coles announced it will close its Swaggle pet‑care platform in early April, ending a two‑year experiment in the Australian pet market. Swaggle, an online marketplace launched in Victoria and led by former Coles category manager Chad Burke, offered thousands of...
How ECDB Is Bringing Transaction-Level Transparency to Global E-Commerce Trends
ECDB, founded in 2022, delivers transaction‑level e‑commerce market intelligence by processing more than 1 billion purchases each month—about 1‑2% of global online sales. Its platform normalises and enriches this data to provide near‑real‑time visibility across categories, retailers and markets. Retailers using...
Collins Foods Pushes ‘Compelling’ German Expansion
Collins Foods, the Australian operator of KFC and Taco Bell, announced the acquisition of eight KFC restaurants in Bavaria and a plan to open 45‑90 new German locations over the next four years. The deal, slated for completion by June...
Mekora Launches Marketplace for Vietnamese Fashion Designers
Australian startup Mekura is debuting an online marketplace on March 14 that aggregates over twenty independent Vietnamese fashion designers, offering more than 120 apparel pieces to Australian shoppers. The curated platform showcases women’s and men’s collections, ranging from dresses and...
Why Hourglass Swapped Mecca for Sephora and Embraced DTC
Hourglass Cosmetics has terminated its 16‑year exclusive partnership with Australian retailer Mecca, ending a relationship that began in 2010. Starting February 17, 2026, the brand launched its own Australian direct‑to‑consumer website and, nine days later, entered Sephora Australia’s stores without...
Why AI Alone Won’t Win Southeast Asia’s E-Commerce Race
Southeast Asia’s e‑commerce sector is shifting from a race for speed to a focus on execution and trust. AI is now embedded across the retail value chain, yet many sellers struggle to integrate it effectively, creating a gap between intent...
The Retail Lab: Why Your First Store Should Be a Laboratory, Not a Launch
The article argues that a retailer's first physical store should function as a laboratory rather than a pure concept launch. A true retail lab rigorously tests hypotheses about layout, merchandising, and customer behavior while also incorporating construction, supply‑chain, and delivery...
Culture Kings US Parent Expands Australian Store Network, Lifts Sales
AKA Brands, the U.S. parent of Culture Kings and other youth fashion labels, posted a 4.4% revenue increase to US$600 million, driven by a 5.3% rise in U.S. sales and a modest 1.6% lift in Australian sales. The group expanded its...
NSW Government Plans Stronger Protections for Retail Workers
The New South Wales Labor government will launch a consultation on a new Workplace Protection Order (WPO) model aimed at shielding retail staff from harassment and violence. The initiative follows the October retail crime strategy and Operation Percentile, which has...
Oz Hair & Beauty Passes $100m Revenue, Celebrates Store Milestone
Oz Hair & Beauty, a family‑owned Australian retailer, has exceeded $100 million in annual revenue and is set to open its 30th store, with two additional locations planned in Perth. Founded in 1986, the company grew from a single Sydney outlet...
Brisbane Fashion Festival Dates, Agenda Released
The Brisbane Fashion Festival returns for its 21st anniversary, running from Monday, August 24 to Friday, August 28 at King George Square. The event will host Australia’s first major Spring/Summer runway in a city centre, featuring bold tailoring, resort and...
Why Do Brands Go Silent in the Fitting Room?
Retailers pour resources into a distinctive brand voice, yet fitting rooms remain a silent, brand‑free zone. This gap is critical because the fitting room is the moment when shoppers decide to buy or walk away. Brands like Urban Outfitters and...
One in Five Australians Have Bought a Big-Ticket Item on Social Media
A Finder survey of 1,003 Australians reveals that one in five have purchased a big‑ticket item—such as cars, holidays, artwork or even a house—through social platforms like TikTok, Instagram or Facebook Marketplace. The study estimates roughly 4.4 million people were influenced...
Why Are Retailers Shifting Focus to Generation Alpha?
Retailers are pivoting from Gen Z to Generation Alpha, the cohort born after 2010 that has grown up entirely in a digital ecosystem. The oldest Alphas will be 16 in 2025, already accounting for roughly half of US household spending...
How In-Store Music Influences Customer Behaviour in ANZ
Inside Retail and OneMusic Australia surveyed 1,250 ANZ consumers, revealing that in‑store music directly shapes dwell time, spend and brand perception. About 40% of shoppers leave a venue because the soundtrack feels wrong, while roughly half stay longer when it...
Strong Start to Year for Australian Retail Sales
Australian retail spending rose 5% year‑on‑year in January 2026, marking the strongest start to the year. Growth was led by cafes, restaurants and takeaway services, which posted an 8.7% increase, while other categories also posted double‑digit gains. Regional data shows...
The Iconic Lifts Annual Earnings by over 70 per Cent
The Iconic posted a 71% jump in adjusted EBITDA to $45.7 million for FY25, while its net merchandise value rose 6% to $893 million. Gross margin expanded by two points to 49%, reflecting stronger marketplace and platform services. Active customers increased 4%...
Country Road Group Posts Modest Sales Growth as Turnaround Gains Traction
Country Road Group posted a 2.3% rise in total sales and a 2.5% increase in comparable store sales for the first half, driven by stronger performance at Country Road, Witchery and Politix. The modest growth aligns with the company’s January...
Asics Steps up Retail Expansion with 304sqm Chadstone Flagship
Asics opened a 304 sqm flagship store at Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre, its second‑largest Australian location. The larger format lets the brand display its full performance portfolio—running, netball, football and licensed apparel—in a single space. Designed with Japanese‑inspired timber and bamboo,...
How Hong Kong Apparel Brand Sau Lee Appeals to the American Fashion Lover
Hong Kong‑based Sau Lee, founded by designer Cheryl Leung in 2014, has positioned itself as a modern Chinese heritage label for American consumers. By reimagining classic cheongsam silhouettes with contemporary prints, diverse sizing (00‑14) and price points from $228 to...
Who Is the Modern Male Shopper Now?
The modern male shopper has moved from muscle‑centric marketing to demanding ingredient transparency and functional benefits. Protein brands now highlight whey isolate purity, grass‑fed sourcing and the absence of additives, while men increasingly view protein as everyday nutrition. Skincare, haircare...
Endeavour Group Sees Retail Profits Hurt by Low-Cost Push
Endeavour Group’s half‑year earnings show a 17.1% drop in net profit to $247 million despite a modest 0.2% rise in retail sales to $5.5 billion. The decline stems from an aggressive low‑price strategy that squeezed the retail drinks gross margin down 84...
Secrets Shhh Rebrands, Expands Lab-Grown Diamond Model Globally
Australian lab‑grown diamond retailer Secrets Shhh has rebranded to Secrets by Amaar following a partnership with Dubai‑based Amaar Jewels. The deal grants Secrets access to Amaar’s retail footprint across the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Hong Kong and India while preserving its...
Jeweller Musson Opens Sydney Flagship
Musson, the family‑owned Australian jeweller, has launched a 300 sqm flagship store at Chatswood Chase, reviving its North Shore roots first established in 1983. The two‑level space follows the brand’s Grand Boutique & Workshop in the Queen Victoria Building, positioning the...
Retail’s Gender Pay Gap Is Shrinking – but Fashion Has a Problem
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s 2026 report shows Australia’s overall employer gender pay gap narrowing, with the private‑sector midpoint falling to 11.2% and the median to 8.0%, each down 0.9 points year‑on‑year. More than half of employers reduced their gaps,...
‘The Great Exhaustion’: Why the Future of Branding Is Calm
By 2026 consumers are hitting a breaking point dubbed “The Great Exhaustion,” where cost‑of‑living stress, climate concerns and digital overload drive burnout and decision fatigue. This emotional economy favors calm, comfort and belonging over constant novelty, prompting brands to simplify...
InStitchu Strengthens Partnership with Dayang Group
InStitchu, the Australian menswear retailer, has deepened its alliance with China’s Dayang Group through a $12.8 million equity restructuring that lifts Dayang’s ownership to 35 percent. The deal also sees InStitchu divesting its 45 percent stake in wholesale platform Jerome Clothiers and...
When Retail Networks Become Access Points for Crisis Support
Endota spas across Australia have partnered with the Escabags charity to place free, unbranded escape bags in more than 100 locations, offering discreet assistance to domestic‑violence survivors. Founded in 2020, the initiative now operates in over 2,000 retail establishments nationwide,...
Michael Hill International’s Profit Turnaround Driven by Canadian Boom
Michael Hill International reported a half‑year revenue of $370.9 million, up 3% YoY, and a net profit after tax of $22.3 million, a 32% increase despite a full‑year loss. The profit boost was driven primarily by a 70‑basis‑point lift in the Canadian...
What Keeps LSKD on Top of the Online CX Index
LSKD has held the number‑one spot on Humii’s Inside Retail Online CX Index for two consecutive years, posting sub‑5% abandonment and near‑100% retention. The brand’s edge stems from frictionless returns, ultra‑fast operational speed, intuitive product discovery, transparent checkout, clear loyalty...
Joyce Group’s Profit Soars Nearly 30 per Cent on Double-Digit Sales Growth
Joyce Group reported a 29% jump in net profit to $5.1 million for the first half of 2026, driven by an 11.2% revenue increase to $81.6 million. Normalised EBIT rose 21% to $14.8 million, with margins expanding from 16.6% to 18.2%. The KWB...
Franchise Success Leads Harvey Norman to ‘Very Solid’ Results
Harvey Norman reported half‑year 2026 sales exceeding $5 billion, a 6.9% increase driven largely by its franchise network. After‑tax profit rose 15.2% to $321.9 million as operating expenses fell to 17.8% of revenue. Australian franchisee sales grew 4.8% to $3.5 billion, now representing...
Australia’s Top Retailers Honoured for CX, Store and Loyalty
Australia’s Retailer Awards, presented by Inside Retail and Shiperoo, honored leading retailers for excellence in customer experience, store design and loyalty. Priceline secured the CX Innovator of the Year award for firms with over $250 million revenue, while Decjuba won the...
How Korean-American Fine Jewellery Brand Kinn Is Turning Into a Modern Heritage House
Jennie Yoon founded Kinn after a 2015 theft stole family heirlooms, prompting her to create modern, sustainable fine jewellery. Launching in 2017, the DTC brand differentiates with lab‑grown gemstones, recycled 14k gold, and a "KinnCycle" service that remelts old pieces....
Setting up Shop with Brotherwolf
Brotherwolf has opened a flagship studio on Clarendon Street in South Melbourne, converting a 19th‑century bank into a 100‑square‑metre grooming and fashion hub. The new space reflects a decade of learning, shifting from instinctive expansion to deliberate design that blends...
Cettire in the Red Amid Weak US Performance, Shares Plunge
Cettire reported a first‑half fiscal loss of $1.1 million, reversing a $4.7 million profit from the prior year, as US tariff changes and soft luxury demand hit sales. Revenue slipped 2.8% to $382.8 million, while adjusted EBITDA fell 28% to $8.7 million. Excluding the...
Harris Technology Now ‘One of the Fastest Growing’ in Its Sector
Harris Technology, a refurbished‑technology specialist, posted an 18.9% rise in sales revenue to $8.3 million and a 7.1% increase in profit to $2.8 million for the first half of the financial year. Monthly refurbished sales now average $500,000. A strategic shift toward...
Sigma’s Double-Digit Sales, Profit Growth ‘Proves’ Merger Decision
Sigma Healthcare reported double‑digit growth in its first‑half fiscal results, driven by the Chemist Warehouse network. Revenue rose 15% to $5.5 billion, normalised EBIT increased 18.7% to $582.9 million, and NPAT grew 19.2% to $392 million. Chemist Warehouse sales jumped 17.2% to $5.1 billion,...
Super Retail Group Profits Hurt by Rebel Discounts
Super Retail Group reported a 4.2% increase in first‑half FY2026 sales to $2.1 billion, but profits fell 19.8% year‑on‑year. The decline was driven by peak capital‑expenditure spending and aggressive promotional activity at its Rebel sporting‑goods chain, which shaved 20 basis points...
Revealed: The Top 50 People in E-Commerce in Australia for 2026
Guy Nappa, co‑owner and COO of Oz Hair & Beauty, has been named the top person in Inside Retail’s 2026 Top 50 People in E‑commerce for the second consecutive year. Nappa rose from a warehouse packer to partner in 2015 and...
Where Exceptional Talent Meets Ultimate Careers
Jivaro, an 18‑year‑old executive recruitment firm, focuses exclusively on retail and consumer goods, serving 227 corporate clients across Australia and Europe. Its vertical sourcing model assigns functional specialists to each role, leveraging a 150,000‑plus candidate database and AI‑driven tools. In...
McDonald’s Australia Trials Global Beverage Platform for McCafé
McDonald’s Australia began a trial on February 25 of ten handcrafted beverages across more than 500 restaurants in Victoria and Queensland. The rollout marks the second market to test the company’s new global beverage platform, extending McCafé beyond coffee to include...