Trevor Queen Street

This week, we’ve seen suggestions in the media that recent high-profile collapses like Dick Smith, Masters and Laura Ashley signal that the retail industry is entering a period of ‘doom and gloom’.

Negative commentary never helps consumer confidence and retail spending. The National Retail Association has been working hard to point out that retail is a big and broad sector and that some high profile cases have obscured some decent results and trends.

Further, it’s not unusual to see closures in the first few months of the year. Christmas is traditionally the busiest trading period of the year, so now is the time when some retailers will take stock of their performance and consider the year ahead.

As we head into Autumn, most forecasts suggest that the retail industry is on the right track, and should continue to head in the right direction through 2016.

But it will be the sentiment of Australian households – as much as the real numbers, that determines how much goes through the till.

Navigating through difficult times requires businesses to embrace innovation, think outside the box, and invest in your most valuable resource: your people.

We understand that it can be difficult to successfully navigate all areas of business operation at once, especially keeping up with the ever-changing world of social media and the latest in innovation. That’s why we hold a number of informative and hands-on training days and workshops to equip retailers and staff with the know-how to succeed in all aspects of business.

To register for these upcoming training workshops or find out more information, head to the events section of our website.