Latest from Retail

Strong start to Christmas spending
Christmas spending is off to a strong start with, up 4.4 per cent on the same time last year.

Best job in the world ever
As chief toy tester and buyer for Farmers, the 31-year-old has a big role choosing which toys will be hot at Christmas.

We're hitting the shops hard
Christmas shoppers have bent the plastic, spending a whopping $2.3 billion in the first fortnight of December.

Dita De Boni: Time for some Aussie stick in the aisles
In NZ, our supermarkets won't even sign up to a code of conduct, let alone agree to legislation being debated, writes Dita De Boni. It's time for the Govt to step in.

Dave Chambers: Hard work goes into keeping prices low
In a reply to today's column by Dita De Boni on supermarket costs, Countdown managing director Dave Chambers addresses the issue of pricing.

Web retailers push delivery boundaries
Web retailers are offering shoppers speedy shipping, one-day upgrades and even promises to deliver last-minute orders by Christmas Day.

Card spending rises, led by hospitality
Kiwis increased their spending on debit and credit cards in November, with a rise in hospitality and consumable purchases.

Liam Dann: Tax-free shopping has a cost
Australian retail billionaire Solomon Lew has declared war on his Government's failure to charge GST for overseas goods bought online.

Bad weather risk for retail sales
Retailers are hoping positive economic conditions will offset a blustery and wet start to the spring and summer period.

Global coffee retailer Esquires brews Downunder plan
New Zealand-based Cooks Global Foods is eyeing the Australia and New Zealand market - one of the few places it does not hold the rights to the Esquires coffee shop brand.

$205m plan for Alexandra Park
The $205 million development proposes to build 231 apartments on the carpark at the Alexandra Park stadium/raceway.

'Black Friday' frenzy for Kiwi shoppers
Kiwi retailers are today hoping to cash in on "Black Friday", America's biggest shopping day of the year, by luring consumers with promises of big discounts on goods ahead of Christmas.

Tough road to year's end
Pumpkin Patch has hired Goldman Sachs as an adviser on its capital and funding requirements and says a share issue is an option for the children's clothing retailer, which has warned it could breach....

Pumpkin Patch warns on debt
Pumpkin Patch says this Christmas would be make or break for the children's wear retail chain.

Warehouse affirms forecast for higher profit
NZ's largest listed retailer, affirmed its expectation for a rise in annual earnings even as sales lag heading into the key Christmas trading period.

Shop tills have cheery ring
Retail sales rose a brisk 1.5% in the Sept quarter in real or volume terms, making 4.7% for the year and outstripping the rise in retailers' takings.

Retail sales volumes continue to rise
Retail sales rose 1.5pc in the September quarter, led by food-related industries - with rises in supermarket stores and food and beverage services.

Jean Jones keep it local for market edge
When Jean Jones went into receivership in 2010, general manager at the time Gina Condon decided to take a punt on the brand and buy it.

Singapore buys into NZ malls
Forty-nine per cent of five Westfield malls worth $2.1b will be sold to the Singaporean Government Investment Corporation.

Warehouse lifts sales and fattens margins
The Warehouse lifted first-quarter sales 3.5pc, opening more Noel Leeming stores, and widened margins at its dominant 'Red Shed' unit.

ComCom clears Expedia - Wotif travel agency merger
ComCom clears merger of online travel agencies Expedia and Wotif.com after assessing concerns the tie-up would increase commission rates.

Pak'n Save crowned cheapest
Pak'n Save has won the latest battle in NZ's supermarket wars. So how much could you save on an average basket of groceries bought there?

Boss backing retail careers
Higher wages and a specialised degree are among the initiatives helping change the perception of retail from a boring job to a high-flying career, says Warehouse boss.

Do not knock: Hawkers on line
The consumer watchdog wants a law change making it illegal for dodgy door-to-door salespeople to ignore "do-not-knock" notices posted by homeowners.

'Do Not Knock' fight threatens sellers
Sick of door-to-door sellers? You're not alone. Serious complaints have led Consumer NZ to launch a nationwide campaign against the sales tactic.

Liam Dann: Disruption, the new buzzword
Digital disruption was the hot topic at the Institute of Finance Professionals (INFINZ) conference last week, writes Liam Dann.

Auditor flags reliance on bank
Pumpkin Patch auditor PwC says the former high-flying retailer may have difficulty continuing as a going concern if it is unable to comply with banking covenant agreements with its bank, the ANZ.