Australia’s retail sector has entered a new era with the formal launch of the Australian Retail Council (ARC), a single, unified voice representing the interests of retailers of all sizes across the country.
ARC is formed through the amalgamation of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA), marking a historic milestone in more than 120 years of advocacy, support and industry leadership.
ARC Chief Executive Officer Chris Rodwell said ARC is determined to ensure the efforts of the entire retail community are respected and celebrated across the nation.
“I’m thrilled to celebrate the launch of the Australian Retail Council. ARC brings together the collective strength and expertise of two respected institutions into a single, powerful voice that represents every retailer – from family-owned businesses to iconic national brands,” he said. “Retail contributes $444 billion to the economy and is our largest private sector employer, with a workforce of 1.4 million people.”
The new ARC brand has been unveiled today, under the banner, ‘Let’s talk shop.’
“Retail sits at the heart of our communities. We want to ‘talk shop’ with every Australian, helping people better understand and engage with our members and our industry. As such a critical sector, we’re determined to play a bigger role in the national economic conversation,” said Mr Rodwell. “At ARC, we’re backing the retailers that back Australia – whether that’s reducing retail crime, driving economic reform, creating jobs and careers, supporting small businesses, lifting efforts to address climate change and sustainability, supporting regional communities or adopting technology.”
Members can rely on ARC to support them with a range of services and benefits. This extends to workplace relations advice, legal and HR support and resources, policy & advocacy, training and skills development, research and market insights, specialised retail content, and a full calendar of events, conferences and networking opportunities.
“The combined membership base reflects the diversity and strength of modern Australian retail and our role at ARC is to tell the story of retail across Australia and to support them to build thriving businesses,” said Mr Rodwell. “We also want to inspire more Australians to consider careers in retail. For many it’s a rite of passage into the Australian workforce. Retail also offers extraordinary long-term career options, whether creating or evolving brands, building new customer experiences, evolving pricing models, adopting AI or technology solutions, or managing complex supply chains, The pace of innovation in retail right now leads many other sectors in the economy.”
A transitional board, consisting of members of the former ARA Council and NRA Board, is now in place and will serve until elections for a new ARC Board are held later in 2026. The Chair of the ARC Board is Nicole Sheffield and Deputy Chair is Antony Moore.
Mr Rodwell is the inaugural CEO of the Australian Retail Council. Members of the leadership team include:
- Chief Industry Engagement and Marketing Officer, Fleur Brown
- Chief Policy Officer & Chief Economist, Glenn Fahey
- Chief Operating Officer, Nathalie Rosette-Barber
- Chief Legal and Industrial Relations Officer, Lindsay Carroll
The ARC’s membership services are designed to support businesses and their employees at every stage of growth. For further details on ARC membership, services, events and resources, visit retail.org.au.
E media@retail.org.au P 0434 381 670