The leaders of the nation’s peak retail crime committee including the National Retail Association (NRA), the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) and the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) have welcomed tougher measures announced by the Western Australian Government to combat shoplifting and petty theft. In welcoming the proposed new laws, including the introduction of jail sentences for low level stealing offences of up to two years, and increasing fines to $24,000 the leaders of the NRA Retail Crime Committee said such measures are a necessary requirement to address the concerning rising trend and issues associated with retail crime. Lindsay Carroll, Acting Chief Executive Officer, NRA said: “The NRA’s Retail Crime Committee has worked closely with the WA Police Force to highlight the need for additional deterrents for offenders, including sentencing reform. “The proposed reforms target low value, high frequency offending which plague a significant section of the retail…

The National Retail Association (NRA), the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) and the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), are gearing up for another year of working collaboratively on retail crime issues and are open to welcoming new members and attendees. The NRA’s Retail Crime Committee is a longstanding forum which engages closely with Police Forces across the country, retailers and landlords, and key stakeholders such as the Shop Assistants’ Union (SDA), to discuss and resolve retail crime issues, including policy and operational issues, through a collaborative partnership. Sadly, incidences of retail crime – whether they be opportunistic retail theft, violent behaviour, or organised crime – have been increasing with a significant business and community impacts. In their 2023 wrap-up, the following issues were raised by the industry: In locking in their 2024 calendar, the NRA’s Retail Crime Committee meetings will be held across all jurisdictions. This year, new…

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The new machines also will carry products for sale as the country’s workforce shrinks. Japan’s FamilyMart has begun using robots to clean floors as the country’s second-largest convenience retailer faces a labor shortage, reported Nikkei Asia. The robots will be rolled out at 300 company-operated stores nationwide by the end of February. According to the company, the move is a first for major convenience stores in Japan. FamilyMart began introducing the robots at some stores in late January and will make them available to franchise locations for a monthly fee from April onward. Each robot cleans the floor five times a day—a task that store staffers do three times a day for a total of about an hour. This will free up time for employees to do such tasks as stocking shelves and training. “As the workforce decreases, we would like to coexist with robots in order to run stores with…

American e-commerce goliath Amazon has become a “critical partner” for a major cross-section of local retailers, a leading retail analyst says, as the company leans towards a projected Australian turnover of $5.5 billion. Investment and advisory group Jarden projects Amazon’s Australian operations will hit that milestone next financial year, The Australian Financial Review reports, some seven years after promising to upheave the e-commerce sector. With the cost of living only rising, shoppers are increasingly open to price comparisons which platforms like Amazon provide, said Ben Gilbert, Jarden’s research lead. High uptake of the Prime membership service suggests further growth is likely, he added. Amazon itself has indicated no signs of slowing down. It has announced plans to recruit 1,000 seasonal logistics and fulfilment staff through the mid-year period, and plans to complete its Perth fulfilment centre in time for the 2023 holiday shopping rush. Amazon growing where others struggle John Batistich, a retail…