Tag: Russell Zimmerman

While it may be hailed as the “race that stops a nation”, a new survey suggests the Melbourne Cup imposes a productivity cost of more than $1bn on the Australian economy.

A leading retail body is calling on the federal and state governments to consider the impacts of new taxes on consumers and businesses, as many begin 2012 budget discussions.

Retail turnover rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent in July, much to the relief of many small businesses, after registering consecutive falls in the two months previous.

Bricks and mortar retailers gathered in Sydney this week for the Engage in E-tail seminar, in an effort to better their response to rising consumer demand for e-commerce offerings.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is urging its members to consider their right to apply surcharges for credit card purchases, with consumers who pay in cash likely to welcome the practice.

The Australian Retailers Association said the ABS July Retail Trade figures released yesterday showing a 0.7 percent growth in July retail trade was “not good enough”.

Retail trade in Australia has improved, but only by 0.2 percent in June, repeating the 0.2 percent growth in retail sales recorded by the ABS in May this year.