Posts by theo@aacs.org.au

We have a date – Australian Retail Council launches 1 February 2026!. We are delighted to announce the official amalgamation date for the Australian Retail Council (ARC) of 1 February 2026. This news follows the Fair Work Commission (FWC) hearing this morning, where we received formal approval to proceed with amalgamation. This historic milestone marks a new era in our shared history of more than 120 years supporting the Australian retail community. We can now deliver on our promise of creating a unified voice for retail, ensuring every Australian respects and celebrates its sustaining contribution to communities across our nation. What does this mean for members? As a foundation member of ARC, we are pleased to confirm your membership fees will be grandfathered for 12 months from amalgamation date – that is, until 1 February 2027. This special provision applies only to ARA and NRA members who are financial members…

HIGHLIGHTS. BODY. Convenience Measures Australia (CMA) and Fonto have jointly relaunched CMA Shopper Reports, a suite of syndicated insights products for Australia’s Petrol & Convenience (P&C) sector that connects what shoppers do and why they do it. Combining CMA’s long-running Shopper Report programs and Fonto’s partnership with Mastercard Open Banking and Finance, the product merges person level transaction data with best-in-class research to understand P&C shopper decisions and behaviour from real customers in near real time. “This is a new chapter for CMA to deliver unique insights to the P&C Channel by increasing our access to shoppers and the numbers we can get to. The fact that we are now integrating actual transaction data in a continuous longitudinal program means we can quickly respond to our customers’ needs and provide ongoing visibility of the shopper and what they do in our Channel and elsewhere.” said Corinne Barclay, Director, CMA. The…

Metcash has released its half-year results, with CEO Doug Jones describing them as “solid results in tough trading conditions”. He says this was supported by disciplined operational performance and the successful execution of Metcash’s strategy. “Importantly, we’ve maintained good momentum in our core business, and our independent networks remain healthy and confident despite the challenging conditions,” he adds. Group reported revenue for the six months ended 31 October increased 0.1% to $8.5 billion. Including charge-through sales, group revenue increased 0.4% to $9.6 billion. Food. Total food sales (including charge-through and excluding tobacco) increased 7.2% to $4.5 billion. Including tobacco, total food sales were down 0.8%. Wholesale sales, excluding tobacco, increased 2.7%, with the rate of growth higher in the second quarter supported by the success of Metcash’s ‘Extra Specials’ promotional program focused on large stores. The rate of decline in tobacco sales accelerated following the introduction on 1 July of…

The Reserve Bank of Australia might water down its controversial proposal to impose a ban on credit card surcharge fees, which drew a backlash from business, and the regulator is also taking steps to appease the big banks’ concerns about interchange fees. According to minutes released after the RBA’s Payments System Board meeting this week, the regulator is considering “the relative merits of the various options on payment card surcharging”. Surcharges on debit and credit card payments imposed by businesses have drawn public ire, prompting the Albanese government to ban debit payment surcharges from next year. Surcharges are increasingly being added for card payments – but Australia’s biggest bank wants them scrapped. The proposed ban on card surcharges opened a can of worms on how payment costs are allocated across the economy. Justin McManus. Although this ban is expected to remain, the RBA is now considering allowing surcharging to continue…

Perth Lynx is proud to welcome Metro Petroleum and Mr Whippy as the club’s Official Fuel & Convenience Partner for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) seasons. This exciting partnership will see both brands feature prominently across Perth Lynx game day and team assets, enhancing the fan experience while supporting elite women’s basketball in Western Australia. As part of the two-season partnership, Metro Petroleum branding will appear on the Perth Lynx home uniforms, while Mr Whippy branding will feature in the same position on away uniforms, including finals. Fans can also expect to see the brands amplified via LED exposure at home games, basket signage at both ends of the court, and Mr Whippy activations on match days and fan days. It’s a partnership that will be seen across many touchpoints, including player activations and alignment not only in Western Australia, but also on the East Coast…

Last week I had the chance to see the latest thinking from bp and Marks & Spencer, probably the most successful service station partnership in the world. Representatives from our Insight Mobility Retail Round Table share group joined me and we were lucky enough to be hosted by bp Vice President Mobility & Convenience retail UK Joanne Hayward and her team (including Hannah Munns, Dominic Casby and the convenience team) at Pinkham way, one of four new trial sites bp is testing. As the ‘energy expansion’ gathers pace, service station operators need a strategy which gradually evolves with the changing needs of drivers and the kind of integrated mobility hubs which bp is building very much reflect this. Just like Circle K in the Nordics, bp is installing fast chargers that serve the needs of EV drivers, but also continuing to serve traditional fuel customers too. Yes the UK ‘car…