Consumer confidence just got a boost. How can you capitalise on it?

The Reserve Bank’s decision to keep interest rates on hold is set to have a ripple effect throughout the economy.  While the smart money says rates probably won’t go down until well into the July-December half, very few people – if any – are predicting more rises.  Add to that news of pending tax cuts […]

Is this the end of Australia’s supermarket duopoly?

The allegations of price-gouging during a cost-of-living crisis by Australian supermarkets Coles and Woolworths could finally be the death knell of the duopoly that has long dominated the country’s grocery sector.  On Jan 25th, the Albanese government announced the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will conduct a twelve-month probe to examine if Australian supermarkets […]

Perspective – The year of Birth, Death and Apeshit

Queue of people and AI robot waiting for job interview

2023. We all walked out of a long dust storm back into the office a few days a week. Great to see common sense prevail with flexible WFH arrangements. The relentless push to do more with less meant the people doing more for less ended up doing more for more for someone else. Many were […]

Perspective – The year we started to respect people’s time

Woman sleeping with phone on bedside table

Time has flown even faster this year than last, but on reflection, it also feels like the year of slowing down to speed up. In times of uncertainty, it appears we’ve found a way to protect ourselves and regain some of the control we lost over the pandemic. We’ve all read the gazillion opinion pieces […]

Can a Blundy-owned Best & Less take on Kmart and win?

2 women fighting over clothes in store

The move by seasoned retailer Brett Blundy to takeover discount fashion retail Best & Less (B&L) resulted in plenty of headlines for the reason that the bid was lower than what the company’s shares were trading at. The fact that the board accepted the lowball offer had many questioning what Blundy and Ray Itaoui have in store […]

Good, better, best: How Myer is winning during the ‘shift to thrift’

Crowd of people outside Myer

Australians have been bombarded with cost-of-living pressures from many sides. From essentials – at the supermarket and the petrol pump, in the mortgage and in the power bills – to the not-so-essentials, such as the local café, the fashion boutique, the travel agent and the new car dealer. Even if you’ve got cash to splash […]

Do retailers have enough cash in the post-Covid coffers to stay afloat?

Piggy bank with bandaids

If you follow economic commentary and official statistics, you’d be forgiven for doing a little head-scratching of late. From Covid to the cost-of-living crisis and ever-increasing interest rates, there’s no shortage of doom and gloom. Many shopkeepers and larger retail chains are saying the market feels like we’re already in the throes of a recession, despite Australia’s […]

Why retailers and streamers are a match made in heaven

2 hands making love heart

Late last year, Wesfarmers – the folks behind Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks, Catch and Target – announced it had done a deal with Disney for a subscription bundle combining Disney+ and OnePass. OnePass is a membership program that gives customers free delivery and deals across the Wesfarmers brands. Usually, it’s $4 a month. Combined with Disney, which gives you […]

Unmade podcast. Ben Willee discusses the short and long-term media outlook

Laptop with megaphone unmade podcast

This week’s Unmade podcast features Ben Willee, GM and media director of Spinach Advertising. The interview, with Unmade’s Tim Burrowes, focuses on the short term and long term media outlook (Without predicting a recession, Willee is considering for the eventuality); he offers his interpretation of the first results from reporting season; and he assesses the importance of […]

Will the war on inflation crash the JB Hi-Fi party?

Illustration hand with needle held against dollar sign balloon

It was a case of right place, right products, right time for JB Hi-Fi, a brand that has raked in ample coin during Covid lockdowns. The retailer had what everyone wanted for a life that revolved around the home. TVs, computers, stuff to shut the kids up – JB was our saviour. Coupled with a […]