It seems a week can’t go by without an international retail brand announcing plans to move into the Australian market. This week saw German grocery chain Kaufland signal its intention, with a new Australian website advertising an “ambitious Australian investment and development programme”.
This involves looking for large sites up to 20,000 square metres and scouting for employees including those in architectural planning and a letting manager.
Similarly to Aldi, Kaufland is a big box retailer known for its aggressive discounting, which offers everything from supermarket items to bikes. It is owned by the Schwarz Group (which also owns discount grocery chain Lidl) and at this stage operates in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
If Kaufland pulls off its Australian move, it could see the local grocery market become even more competitive, with Woolworths and Coles already feeling pressure from Aldi.
On Retailbiz this week we’re asking if 2017 will be the year of the Aussie retail rebound (the ARA says maybe) and suggesting five things every retailer can do to grow their business.
We also have an interview with fashion brand Grana, which is taking luxe basics straight to consumers with its B2C model. Founder Luke Grana had lots of interesting things to say, from why he couldn’t base his company in Australia to how pop-up stores have helped his online business grow.
Plus, don’t miss the great piece from our contributor Duncan Hendy about what ad blocking means for retailers—is this a threat or an opportunity?
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on what’s happening in the world of retail, so feel free to leave a comment below.
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