From fashion victims to Amazon’s arrival, here are the stories you clicked on the most this year.
Why are so many prominent retailers entering administration?
With Australian retailers including Pumpkin Patch, Howards Storage World, Marcs, David Lawrence, Herringbone, and Rhodes and Beckett going into administration, we were eager to pinpoint a reason. This story from May found that a culture of heavy discounting had damaged the market, with customers trained to expect a bargain.
From administration to expansion: Rhodes & Beckett relaunch
This good news story from October detailed the return of luxury retailer Rhodes & Beckett to the Australian market. The relaunch put a strong focus on premium city sites and a new online offering, which the company’s new owners hoped would set the brand on the road to success.
Inside Supercheap Auto’s innovative new flagship
Automotive retailer Supercheap Auto launched an innovative flagship store in Penrith, NSW in June, featuring new services, digital experiences and unique design features to meet the changing needs of customers. It added to the retailer’s portfolio of 320 stores nationwide and acted as a pilot for its next generation of stores.
SumoSalad enters voluntary administration to fight Westfield over rent
In June, fast food chain SumoSalad entered voluntary administration in a bid to negotiate a rent cut with Westfield operator Scentre Group. SumoSalad co-founder and CEO Luke Baylis later told Retailbiz that putting the company in administration was “out of necessity to be taken seriously about the impact that has occurred through cannibalisation”.
Success stories: The Australian companies smashing it overseas
Despite the cloud of retail doom and gloom hanging over Australia, some local retailers are not just thriving domestically, they are socking it to the competition internationally too, as we reported in February.
Lowy family sells Westfield empire for $32 billion
The Lowy family selling up was big news just last week, when Sir Frank Lowy announced he had agreed to sell his shopping centre empire, Westfield Corporation, to European real estate giant Unibail-Rodamco for $32 billion.
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