The Big Sell: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Retail is in trouble.

Australians are spending less and retail figures are at their lowest levels for fifty years. Some stores are closing their doors.

Some say Australian consumers are spooked by the volatile sharemarkets and global instability. Others say stores are simply not up to scratch in terms of price, innovation, and offering people what they really want.

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It’s not all bad though – online purchases are growing and set to expand further.

Join Insight as we look at whether the traditional bricks-and-mortar store is being left behind, and whether spending less is such a bad thing anyway.

Meet the Guests

Rohini Solomons

Rohini Solomons says her business can’t compete with online retailers that don’t pay rent, wages, superannuation or tax. She wants the government to charge online shoppers a levy on their purchases. She feels Australian retailers deserve government support because they help the economy through employing staff. Rohini is the Director of Kingsgrove Sports Centre, a group of five sports shops specialising in cricket.

Margy Osmond

Margy Osmond is the CEO of the Australian National Retailers Association – its members include David Jones, Harvey Norman, Coles, Just Group and Bunnings. Margy says retail is suffering because of global uncertainty, interest rate rises, news of the carbon tax and over-regulation of the industry in areas like employee conditions and trading hours. Her group recently lobbied the Government to remove the $1000 GST-free threshold on purchases bought from overseas online stores.

David Rumbens

David Rumbens wrote the Deloitte Access Economics report ‘Retail Forecasts’. He says retail sales are the lowest in 50 years because consumers are saving rather than spending. But David thinks it’s a good thing that Australians are no longer spending more than they earn.

Michelle Vanzella

Michelle Vanzella is Westfield’s Director of Business Development. Westfield recently launched their online shopping website in a move toward so-called ‘multi-channel’ retailing. Michelle says successful retailers embrace change and that offline and online markets complement each other.

Justine Cullen

Justine Cullen is the Editor of Shop Til You Drop. She says she ruffled feathers recently when she published a recent edition in which every featured item was available to purchase online. Justine says some ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers expressed concern over the issue even before it was published.

Hamish Moline

Hamish Moline is responsible for growing domestic and international sellers on eBay Australia & NZ. The site says it has experienced rapid growth with the sales of its top two thousand sellers growing 38 per cent last year. eBay says it receives nearly 6 million visits each month.

Ruslan Kogan

Ruslan Kogan is the founder and owner of Australian online electronics retailer, Kogan Technologies. Ruslan’s online-only business sells his own brand of televisions, computers and home appliances. BRW magazine lists Ruslan on its Young Rich list. Ruslan says traditional retailers need to adapt to the change brought about by online, rather than complain or lobby for protection.