Australia’s most exceptional retailers have been shortlisted for the inaugural Australian Retailers Association (ARA) Australian Retail Awards.
The categories cover customer experience, diversity and inclusion, emerging talent, franchisee excellence, innovation, marketing, people and culture, store design and store manager excellence. The event also awards the ‘best of the best’ among small, medium and large retailers.
The 2024 shortlisted finalists are a credit to the retail sector, according to ARA CEO, Paul Zahra.
“We have had a terrific industry response to our inaugural awards. The independent judges have said that it’s been a tough choice in many categories, with highly competitive contenders. These finalists are stand-outs in their field with all of them actively contributing to Australia’s $420 billion retail sector,” he said.
“From small businesses and franchisees to major corporations, Australia is leading the charge when it comes to world-class products, service and staff. We are grateful for the significant contribution American Express has made in partnering with us to support the establishment of this inaugural awards event, and also thank our esteemed judges for their valuable contribution to this result.”
Winners will be announced at the Australian Retail Awards on 19 September 2024 at Crown Melbourne.
In the lead up to the awards evening, Retailbiz spoke to the four finalists of the American Express Shop Small Retailer of the Year to learn more about their brand, their journey so far and what’s next for their business and the broader retail sector.
- Bourke St the Label – redefining the luxury pet category
Melbourne-based luxury pet accessory brand, Bourke St the Label, specialises in high-quality dog leads and accessories.
Launching in 2022 with a mission to redefine luxury in the pet space, Bourke St the Label supports meaningful connections with the animals in our lives by designing and crafting quality, timeless pieces to enjoy for years to come.
“Receiving recognition from associations like the ARA and being named a finalist in the American Express Shop Small Awards is incredibly meaningful. It serves as validation for the hard work, passion, and dedication that has been poured into building a brand that strives to offer something truly unique and innovative to the retail space,” Bourke St the Label director, Sarah Macleod told Retailbiz.
Sarah Macleod of Bourke St the Label.
“For Bourke St the Label, it’s not just about celebrating our own success – it’s about inspiring others who may be on the verge of launching their own ventures and emphasises the importance of supporting small businesses.
“In Australia, there are countless small businesses, and behind each one is a founder with a passion and a dream. This kind of recognition shines a spotlight on the immense value that small, independent businesses bring to the table, and the vital role we play in driving innovation and positive change within our industries. Recognition like this also helps to build trust and open doors to new opportunities and partnerships.”
What sets Bourke St the Label apart in the market is a commitment to design, innovation and minimising harm with a range that’s made with alternate leathers, according to Macleod.
“From the inception of Bourke St, I have always aimed to push the boundaries of what a pet accessories brand can be, whether it’s through bold, thoughtful design, customer-focused marketing, or a unique product offering,” she told Retailbiz.
Macleod’s professional journey spans over a decade in the fashion and lifestyle industries with various roles in production, creative direction, and project management, working with some of Australia’s most iconic brands.
“The creation of Bourke St the Label was deeply personal, influenced by my passion for design and love for animals; specifically, my former dog, Chilli, who I rescued in my early 20s and who brought immense joy and love into my life. I saw an opportunity to merge the principles of high-end fashion with the growing demand for thoughtfully designed, luxury pet products,” she said.
As the retail industry navigates a challenging and uncertain time, Macleod believes the key to achieving cut-through is a strong focus on innovation in product offerings and strategic approaches.
“The integration of digital technologies into the shopping experience will continue to accelerate. We’re already witnessing the rise of AI and AR, which are transforming shopping into a more personalised and immersive experience. Consumers are expecting tailored interactions, and I believe the future of retail will centre around personalisation and data-driven design,” she said.
Bourke St the Label has several new projects on the horizon including an expansion of its product range, enhancing its digital shopping experience with more interactive features, a continued investment in the development of sustainable leather alternatives and locally manufactured Reclaimed Textiles Collection, as well as a few collaborations rolling out later this year and into early next year.
2. Exurbia, The Adventure Supply Co. – a retail experience beyond product sales
Exurbia, The Adventure Supply Co. is a not-for-profit business owned and operated by The Scout Association of South Australia Inc, specialising in technical outdoor adventure clothing, footwear, and equipment.
Founded in 2021, Exurbia is an evolution of the former Scout Outdoor Centre, previously located on Rundle Street, Adelaide, since 1986. The project was intended to create a modern community-focused retail environment showcasing a premium range of products while maintaining its grassroots heritage.
The business maintains strong affiliated relationships with scout groups, members, and volunteers in South Australia and works closely with other not-for-profit organisations, such as Operation Flinders, which provides youth at risk with developmental opportunities.
“Being recognised by associations such as the ARA and named a finalist in the American Express Shop Small Awards is extremely important to a grassroots retail organisation like Exurbia. It’s not just about the possibility of receiving an award, but about the validation of our efforts in creating a meaningful retail experience that goes beyond just selling products,” Exurbia store manager, Darren Johnson told Retailbiz.
Darren Johnson of Exurbia.
“As a small, community-focused business, being honoured at a national level is a testament to the high standards we maintain in terms of customer service, product range, and our broader mission to give back to the community. It reinforces that we are successfully competing in a market with larger retailers, and we’re doing so by staying true to our core values. Recognition like this not only boosts morale internally with staff but also raises our profile, helping us attract more customers and further our impact in the community.”
Johnson has been the store manager at Exurbia since January 2021, but his time in the retail sector spans over three decades, including being part of the Scout Outdoor Centre since 2011, contributing to the transition from the old store into the Exurbia brand.
“My passion for outdoor and travel retail stems from my long-standing retail career, which began in 1991. Working with both customers and specific community-focused groups, such as Scouts SA, has been incredibly rewarding,” Johnson said.
The Exurbia store in Norwood, South Australia.
“I’ve seen how the right gear and equipment can make a world of difference for someone, whether it’s their first camping trip or they’re experienced adventurers. Exurbia has allowed me to combine my retail experience with my commitment to community involvement.”
As with most industries, Johnson believes technology will play a vital role in the future direction of the retail sector.
“Bricks-and-mortar businesses that do not specialise or focus on customer service as a priority and who don’t invest in managing a positive online presence may find it difficult to compete with aggressive online retailers,” he said.
“Consumers, from my experience, are looking for local knowledge and specialists. Retail businesses that use their digital space to drive consumers to their bricks-and-mortar retail stores and vice versa may benefit from increased customer retention and positive appetite for their products.”
Moving forward, Exurbia’s focus is on two key objectives – to create the best in-store experience and expand on its current digital footprint to drive growth. “By leveraging our marketing strategy and in-store feel, we believe that the business will grow organically as consumers become more aware and educated about Exurbia.”
3. Jean Pool – saving the planet one pair of jeans at a time
In an Australian-first, Jean Pool offers sustainable circular or re-commerce denim garments to the mainstream shoppers, both online and in its Perth city store. The brand provides sustainably and ethically sourced, brand new, recycled, vintage and custom up-cycled, discounted designer denim with savings of 30% to 80% off the RRP.
The Jean Pool team are eagerly working towards a zero-waste status where any unwearable garments are upcycled into something new, from bags to cushions. A repair department ensures denim lives the longest life possible and an in-store trade-in program offers buyers a chance to save even further on their purchases and prevent more fashion waste.
For every 1,000 pairs of jeans sold, Jean Pool saves 10 million litres of water – equivalent to four full Olympic sized swimming pools. So far, the brand has saved over 50 million litres of water by sourcing dead, end of season and sample stock, or items that require repair via the customer or from local charities.
“Award recognition like this makes all the hard work worthwhile – we stop for a moment and pat ourselves on the back. Running a small business is often a thankless task filled with long hours and personal sacrifices,” Jean Pool founder, Wendy Bateson told Retailbiz.
Molly Nylander & Wendy Bateson of Jean Pool.
“During the process of writing the submission and entering the awards, you stop to reflect on all that you’ve achieved. To be a finalist or winner is simply validation that you’re on the right track and it lifts your profile along the way. We love getting our slow fashion message to as many people as possible and the encouragement helps motivate you to the next level you’re aiming for.”
Bateson, who works with her daughter, Molly Nylander, is a self-made entrepreneur who began her career as a photojournalist on a tri-weekly newspaper, capturing some of Australia’s most senior government leaders and Australian icons including Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke.
She was later appointed national manager for an American owned portrait studio where she landed a $5 million contract which saw the company working within Kmart stores nationally, before spending many years in fashion and wedding photography, as well as event styling, planning and management.
Molly strutting her denim in Hay Street, Perth.
“I’ve always been passionate about sustainability and an early adopter of sustainable fashion concept, long before sustainability was a buzzword. In 1998, I launched my first online store, Australia’s first online children’s recycling boutique, which was an overnight success. This subsequently led me to my next retail venture, Mosh and Jolly, a high-end children’s store in Claremont, Western Australia, which won Rag Trader Children’s Retailer of the Year award,” Bateson said.
“My interest in fashion waste ultimately created a new path to make a real difference. Jean Pool recognises denim as a popular fashion statement which also has a huge environmental impact so I’m seeking to make a difference to our planet and people.”
As a niche fashion store, Bateson sees that the biggest change will be dealing with waste and becoming more sustainable.
“E-commerce platforms have now become more accessible and easier to use, providing consumer confidence and thus expanding the used, recycle, circular or re-commerce market significantly. According to Big Commerce, the second-hand fashion market is estimated to grow by 127% by 2026, surpassing $200 billion in sales globally,” she said.
Daisy & Molly in Forrest Chase, Perth in Jean Pool recycled denim.
“I believe re-commerce will become mainstream with large companies being held accountable for their waste and engaging in re-commerce programs. Recycling and reuse are simply becoming a necessity and it is imperative that we maximise the lifetime value of resources extracted from the earth.”
Looking ahead, Jean Pool will continue to strive to become a zero-waste business and focus on its trade-in program, which has been refined over the past 18 months, providing the opportunity to upcycle more unwearable or damaged garments into something new.
“Jean Pool is also working on a new ‘Fashion for Purpose’ concept which will roll out in 2025 and an all-inclusive program that will include workshops, education and training resources on sustainability in principle and practice. There may also be new store locations on the horizon in response to customer requests so watch this space.”
4. Glow Collection – making scented candles more affordable and sustainable
Glow Collection has been producing high quality, sustainable and affordable scented candles for the past 22 years, with a goal of becoming a household name and go-to-destination for home fragrance products.
Since finalising our Management Buyout (MBO) in early 2023 from a global entity to an Australian-owned enterprise, Glow Collection has implemented its transformation playbook to reposition a once old school brand into a modern, highly efficient customer first omni-channel retailer. The 18-month transformation involved a complete reset of the brand, product mix and channel strategy.
“We are humbled to be recognised as a finalist in the ARA Retail Awards American Shop Small Retailer of the Year category. The sheer honour of being named a finalist, alongside other incredibly successful finalists, is something special to our entire company and our customers,” Glow Collection CEO and founder, Greg Smith told Retailbiz.
Greg Smith of Glow Collection.
“If we are successful in winning the award, it will mean so much to our affiliates who work tirelessly every day to share our products to their customers, as we help them make a little extra cash. Such industry recognition gives our affiliates, support team, customer service team, marketing team, social team, 3PL partners and bookkeepers, a sense of achievement.”
What makes the Glow Collection unique is its loyal customer base and affiliates, according to Smith.
“When it comes to our customers, the vast majority have a lifetime value of over five years (some have many more years) and buy every few months. For new customers, we have a repurchase rate of 65% and each time they come back, they spend more. We have over 100,000 active customers and are growing.
“Our affiliate community also truly makes us unique. When we started there were 2,600 and now, we have over 3,200. Our affiliates are not just a distribution network, they are a supportive community who share knowledge, collaborate on our community causes like our own mental health initiative, Glow Hour and build connected trusted friendships.”
Smith has been an omni-channel retail transformation and Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) specialist for many years. The opportunity for Glow arose when he was offered the opportunity to conduct an MBO of a financially underperforming division of a global entity that had operated in Australia for 20 years.
“With a customer base that had been buying almost evangelically for over 20 years and a solid affiliate distribution base to work on, plus the amazing products, the specialist in me couldn’t resist.”
Glow Collection scented candles.
Looking ahead, Smith sees the industry remaining lean with economic headwinds not subsiding anytime soon.
“Consumer spending will continue to be tight. To cope with the retail downturn, I foresee many retailers having to transform their operational models to lower costs and look for ways to become more efficient with ROI generation,” he said.
“This will force a lot of retailers to adopt an NRT (Nimble Retail Transformation) program, which we use internally and it’s yielding increased gross profit margins with a flow through to greater EBITDA results.
“With NRT, we’ve invested in data analytics to help us understand customer buying behaviour and preferences. This has led to a narrower SKU breadth, shallower stock levels to better control 3PL costs, and a move to fast retail executions, while reducing operational costs through automation, the removal of free postage and re-platforming to more efficient integrated systems.”
Glow Collection has three major projects in the pipeline. The first is an accelerated development of its affiliate program through its own competency-based education program, an affiliate community engagement program, and affiliate sales academy.
The second is the expansion of social and digital marketing with an increased expenditure across paid social channels and marketplaces.
The third project is the launch of a multi-sensory retail execution, the Glow Wall, which will take the brand to the physical retail environment without the cost of stock, rent or store staff, in partnership with shopping centre operators across metro Sydney, Queensland and Victoria.