The name of Australia's new peak retail body has been revealed as the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA) build towards a proposed amalgamation.
The proposed entity will be known as the Australian Retail Council (ARC) and will feature a unified national presence. The two not-for-profits are aiming for amalgamation by end of financial year 2025, following Fair Work Commission (FWC) ratification.
The ARA and NRA are jointly recruiting a CEO to lead the proposed amalgamated organisation with an announcement anticipated later this year. A transitional board comprising 50:50 ARA and NRA members will manage through this period of transition. The ARA and NRA will seek member endorsement on the new entity at this year's Annual General Meetings, with a formal vote in 2025.
ARA President Nicole Sheffield said the proposed amalgamation will deliver a host of additional benefits to retailers.
"With the combined strength of both retail bodies, the Australian Retail Council will offer a one-stop shop for Australian retailers, delivering a stronger unified voice for the industry, greater advocacy for retailers of all sizes, and the combined services of the ARA and the NRA.
"It makes absolute sense to create one retail voice and to combine our strengths to support the growth of this vital sector which employs one in ten Australians and generates $430 billion annually," said Ms Sheffield.
"This outcome will strengthen our advocacy and advice to government around the country. The ARA and NRA have already unified on key issues including retail crime, election priorities and workplace relations.
"We look forward to improved offering to the retail sector moving forward in 2025," she said.
NRA Chair Tim Schaafsma said the combined strengths of the two organisations will elevate the impact of the sector to the benefit of all Australians.
"Retail contributes enormously to our country's economic success and social wellbeing, and a strong retail sector is in the interests of all Australians.
"Our two organisations are aligned in focus, and we come together in the spirit of doing what's in the best interests of our retail community.
"There's great strength in numbers and we are confident our members and the sector as a whole will appreciate and embrace this progression towards a unified voice for retail," he said.
The ARA and NRA have proposed that member pricing will be grandfathered for existing members until January 2026.
