Retail and trade
With several subsectors, including wholesale, household goods, furnishing, clothing, automotive, consumables and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), Australia’s retail trade sector hosts many successful family-owned and private businesses. These businesses face a range of complexities each day, such as navigating industrial relations frameworks, meeting super obligations and ensuring profitability.
Online shopping and buy-now-pay-later services, better connected freight networks and everchanging consumer needs present new challenges and opportunities for the retail trade sector. It is crucial for retailers to address risks while capitalising on expansion opportunities in a pragmatic way to continue growing and meeting consumer demand. To that end, retail businesses need trusted advisors to help them navigate all stages of growth.
Retail businesses across the consumer and wholesale distribution channels can benefit from the expertise and tailored advice of professionals. We work with a range of businesses across the retail sector, including:
- Family-owned and operated businesses
- Private businesses
- Listed companies
- Wholesale distribution businesses
- Franchised retail businesses
While constant growth and change can be challenging, it can also bring about new opportunities and innovations. Businesses in the retail trade sector must address these challenges and opportunities in order to stay relevant and maintain their competitive edge.
Challenges
Competition is strong in the retail sector so it is critical for businesses to provide a memorable shopping experience, both in-store and online, and deliver high-quality products. Before this happens, however, retail businesses need to have the right business and taxation structures in place. For franchised and multinational retail businesses, it is particularly important to establish the right foundations from the outset in order to proactively address any challenges that may arise as you expand to additional locations or consider acquisition opportunities.
Opportunities
The increasing digitisation of the shopping experience means retail businesses have more customer data than ever before. Using this data effectively provides new opportunities for your business to optimise the shopping experience and increase brand awareness across your consumer segments. Further, in wholesale distribution and import channels, globalisation and the increasing ease of doing business across borders is providing import and export opportunities.
The influx of consumers to online shopping means retailers must develop a strong online presence and branding to build trust, remain competitive and effectively market to a range of audiences. In the wholesale and distribution channels, engaging in export marketing channels, such as trade shows, exhibitions, roadshows and engagement with local international trade offices, remains a key opportunity.
Whether you run a retail business or trade in wholesale distribution and import channels, our advisors can help you establish the foundations for success now and into the future. With Pitcher Partners, you’ll gain access to experienced experts who not only provide the technical knowledge to ensure your business is profitable but also have a deep understanding of the unique challenges you may face.
We also provide professional support to businesses in the retail trade sector through events, surveys and benchmarking studies. These activities keep us abreast of the major issues facing all aspects of the sector, so our advice is always current, addresses your challenges and proactively identifies potential risks and opportunities.
Our experts
Norman Thurecht
Partner Brisbane
Adrian Clerici
Partner Melbourne
Scott Edden
Partner Newcastle and Hunter
Leon Mok
Managing Director Perth
