The AFR commented that if Australia follows the same e-commerce trends as the US, the demand for new industrial property here will surge. According to Colliers International, "Australia's e-commerce sector is at an eight-year lag to the US.  Applying the same annual growth rate in the share of US online retail sales between 2009 and 2017 to Australia, Australia's retail online share should increase to 9.9% by 2025." The total floor space in property lease deals that occurred in 2017 related to the e-commerce was around 150,000 sq. metres, compared with around 50,000 sq. metres in 2013.  Remembering that everything is one of a kind, we think that comparisons between regions can be misleading. Australian e-commerce faces a range of unique logistical challenges.  It is unlikely that the trend down under will be the same as in the US.

The AFR reported that shares in Sigma Healthcare fell a further 3% yesterday following a 40% crash on Monday, after the announcement that Chemist Warehouse is switching its sourcing to EBOS. According to the AFR, Sigma will now work more closely with a group of single store pharmacy outlets known as Pharmacy Alliance, who is set to become Sigma's largest customer by mid-2019. The situation has many parallels to the independent supermarket space, with the independents (supplied by Metcash) under pressure from larger, more operationally efficient competition.

Reuters reported that Bitcoin slid to its lowest level since the last year ($5,774).  It is now down 70% from its December 2017 peak.  Reuters attributed this to "waning investor interest and recent negative headlines from global regulators".  We think that a word such as 'speculators' or 'gamblers' would have been more appropriate than 'investors'.  We are not the only ones who have issued repetitive warnings about the dangers related to betting money on such schemes.

Inside Retail commented about Pillow Talk’s strong focus on omni-channel business model, aimed at delivering superior customer experiences and building brand loyalty. The business started 40 years ago and has grown substantially over the last few years, to nearly 60 large format stores across Australia. Pillow Talk is one of the largest home linens specialists in the country.  Retail Directions in proud of being associated with Pillow Talk’s success story – we have been providing core systems for the business for a number of years.  It is worth noting Retail Directions strong presence in this market segment, with other important brands such as Bed Bath N’ Table and Sheridan also using our platform.

Retail Gazette in the UK reported on the sales results in the UK grocery sector.  The typical growth year-on-year was around 2% for most grocers, with the exception of Lidl (5.5%) and Aldi (7.4%).  These discount operators continue to grow their market share (from 13.2% last year to 14.3% this year).  Their continuing success reinforces our view that in the grocery segment the long term winners will be chains that mastered operational excellence, not those with bloated head offices, costly IT systems, and buying departments trying to squeeze ever more out of the already struggling suppliers.

Toys R Us continues to operate in Canada, now under a new owner - Fairfax Financial Holdings, which bought the 80+ store retailer for $300 million in early June. According to Canadian Financial Post, the stores have annual turnover in excess of $1 billion.  The business still has to cope with the negative news about Toys R Us coming from the US, but its management is optimistic about the future.

Inside Retail reports that the Cotton On Group has started to offer products from several of its retail brands on The Iconic. This marks the first third-party wholesale partnership for Cotton On Group, which has a global presence of more than 1400 bricks-and-mortar stores and online sites in 18 countries. Shoppers can now purchase items from Cotton On, Cotton On Body, Rubi, and Typo on The Iconic. Retail Directions is proud to play a part in the Cotton On Group's ongoing success story.

We tend to avoid political commentary, but in this instance, the government (understood widely – those in the Cabinet, in the Shadow Cabinet, as well as all the elected representatives) need to be called out as the company tax system lingers in a half-cooked state between 30% and 25%, under a threat to be reversed if the government changes at the next election. It is hard to comprehend how there can be any opposition to dismantling the antiquated two-tier company tax system, all this does is encourage companies to stay just below the threshold. It is equally difficult to operate a business under an uncertain tax regime.  Surely our politicians understand that nothing is worse for business, and therefore retailers, than chaotic rules?