Posts by theo@aacs.org.au

Australia’s first robot food delivery service will begin on the Gold Coast on Thursday. Serve Robotics will launch the service at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct in Southport, as its pilot program ahead of expansion to the rest of the city and beyond. Robots had been spotted being tested on the streets of Surfers Paradise in recent months, with Serve signing partnerships with Griffith University and delivery company DoorDash. Serve Robotics chief executive Ali Kashani said the Gold Coast was the first location it would operate in outside the US. “This is the first time we’ve taken Serve beyond the United States, and the Gold Coast is the right place to start (because) it has the walkable neighbourhoods this technology is built for and a city that has shown it welcomes innovation,” he said. Serve Robotics will begin operating food deliver robots on the Gold Coast from October…

NSW retailers could gain new powers to ban violent and abusive customers from their stores under proposed laws targeting repeat offenders. The Minns government’s proposed legislation would allow businesses to seek court-issued Workplace Protection Orders (WPOs) against people who threaten, intimidate or assault staff. The orders could prevent offenders from entering stores or contacting workers, with breaches carrying penalties of up to two years in prison, a $5,500 fine, or both. The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has welcomed the proposal, citing rising levels of abuse, aggression and violence against frontline retail workers. CEO Theo Foukkare told SmartCompany convenience stores employ around 80,000 frontline workers nationally, including 25,000 in NSW. “There’s a small bunch of high-harm repeat offenders who systematically target retailers to cause chaos,” Foukkare said. He said some offenders were involved in organised retail crime, stealing goods for resale, while also subjecting staff to aggression, weapons and…

The 2026 ANZ Retail Crime Study from the Profit Protection Future Forum (PPFF) is out. It’s the fourth biennial study and gives one of the clearest pictures yet of retail crime across Australia and New Zealand. The study confirms what our members deal with every day. Retail crime isn’t just a stock loss issue. It’s a worker safety, operational and reputational issue, and fixing it needs retailers, police, government and the community working together. 📊 Key findings🇦🇺 Australia: crime-related merchandise losses estimated at AUD $7.6 billion, or 1.304% of retail revenue🇳🇿 New Zealand: losses estimated at NZD $1.1 billion, or 1.120% of retail revenue Those figures don’t include the full social and economic costs, like security, prevention, technology, and the toll that aggression and violence take on frontline workers. 👮 Police-recorded trendsAustralia (2024 to 2025), retail locations: other theft down 7.9%, robbery down 7.8%, sexual assault down 6.9%New Zealand (year…

APCO Service Stations is celebrating an exciting new chapter for its Bendigo customers, with the freshly renovated APCO Strathdale store ready to celebrate with the community and the highly anticipated APCO Kangaroo Flat store re-opening its doors next week. The APCO Strathdale store has undergone a fresh new renovation, enhancing the customer experience while continuing to trade throughout the entire process. APCO would like to thank its loyal Strathdale customers for their patience and support while the renovations were underway. Now, the team is excited to showcase the refreshed store and invite the local community to celebrate. Customers are invited to join the fun at APCO Strathdale on Thursday, 5th November, from 3pm to 5pm, with an afternoon packed with activities for the whole family. The celebration will feature Spin and Win, food tastings, family fun, giveaways and prizes, giving customers plenty of reasons to stop by, explore the refreshed…

Overall, 25,572 attendees from 74 countries and territories were at the 2026 NACS Show, which took place October 6-9 in Las Vegas. This year’s tally was more than 400 attendees higher than last year, making this the second highest attended NACS Show ever. It also was the third consecutive year that NACS Show attendance topped 25,000. Expo Delivers New Products, Category Excitement Organized around five broad categories (in-store merchandise, technology, facility operations, fuel equipment and services, foodservice), the 442,600-net-square-foot Expo featured 1,090 exhibitors, including 173 exhibitors in the New Exhibitor Area. In addition, the NACS Future of Convenience pavilion showcased industry-specific, digital-first solutions developed for retailers to engage customers, protect their business and boost revenue. Hundreds of retailers held discussions and meetings with NACS staff for more information on TruAge® and THRIVR™.  Education Sessions Draw Big Crowds The NACS Show’s 56 Education Sessions, designed by retailers for retailers, had strong…

Cafes smashed by soaring power and fuel bills, brutal tax whacks and rising interest rates are facing a fresh NSW government-induced headache – new laws that could make selling a simple cup of coffee even more complicated. Under a proposed Minns government bill, cafes will be forced to hand out reusable cups and accept them from customers, without being allowed to charge any extra for the service. The laws would effectively spell the end of disposable takeaway coffee cups in many cafes, with only the smallest venues able to continue using them. The proposal has raised questions about who pays for the cups that go missing and the costs to businesses of collecting and cleaning those cups that are returned. Under a proposed Minns government bill, cafes will be forced to hand out reusable cups and accept them from customers, without being allowed to charge any extra for the service.…