Inside Retail

Every Australian over 30 can tell you where their nearest Toys R Us store was – but I bet very few could remember what they bought there. In fact, I’d put money on it. That’s the problem with what’s happening in the US right now. WHP Global and Go! Retail Group plan to open around 120 Toys R Us stores in the lead-up to Christmas. Most will be much smaller than the old stores, and most have leases of twelve months or less. The gamble is that memory will bring people through the doors.

The weekly grocery shop can be an hour of comparing prices, checking labels and remembering what the household needs. Richard Rome thinks AI could eventually take on much of that work, but says the industry should resist calling the result “humanless shopping”.

Walk through almost any Australian supermarket and PepsiCo is hard to miss, from the shelves to the brands shoppers have known for years. In Australia, its foods business spans brands including Smith’s, Red Rock Deli and Doritos, backed by three manufacturing sites, more than 1700 employees and an annual spend of about $150 million on locally grown produce.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has once again lifted the cash rate target, bringing it to the highest level since 2011. It is the fourth hike of 2026. Today’s rise of 25 basis points takes the cash rate to 4.6 per cent following a unanimous decision by its monetary policy committee “Inflation remains elevated, and some of the upside risks flagged in August are materialising,” the RBA said in its decision.

H&M Group has reported sales of SEK 57.2 billion (about US$5.8 billion) for the three months to 31 August – up only 1 per cent year on year. In fact, measured in Swedish krona, sales barely moved, because a stronger krona reduces the value of money earned overseas. Chief executive Daniel Ervér, though, argued sales picked up as the summer went on.

Halleinstein Glassons Holdings has bucked the trend in a challenged retail sector with a bumper fiscal 2026, led by the strength of its Australian Glassons performance. Australian sales for the NZX-listed retailer jumped by 29 per cent year-on-year, contributing $261.91 million (NZ$324.4 million) of the groupwide total of $454.54 million for the year. This sales performance saw a near 50 per cent increase to the group’s bottom line, ending the period with $42.71 million in after-tax profits.

A makeup routine can go wrong before you even apply makeup. Skincare products may pill or fail to layer well, while foundation can separate on skin that has not been properly prepared. Those frustrations helped inspire POV Beauty, a skin prep brand launched in 2025 by beauty creator Mikayla Nogueira and industry veteran Ani Hadjinian.

The CEO and MD of homeware retailer Adairs, Elle Roseby, has resigned. The Adairs Group is now beginning its succession plan for Roseby, who will serve her notice period, ending in March 2027. She joined Adairs in January 2025 following a stint at Country Road Group as MD of Country Road and Trenery. Roseby oversaw the growing sales of the flagship Adairs brand and Moka, while also facing a heavy loss on the balance sheet.

A sustained increase in interest in Manga, Japanese comic books, is transforming the Australian bookselling landscape, prompting retailers to expand shelf space and launch promotional campaigns. According to QBD Books, which operates 93 stores nationwide, sales of manga and pop-culture collectible lines, such as Funko Pop and Vinyl figures, have shown strong double-digit growth.

The Melbourne Mustangs has expanded its merchandise operation with the opening of RinkSide, a permanent retail store at The District Docklands. The store, located near the club’s home rink at O’Brien Icehouse, opened ahead of the Australian Ice Hockey Championships last month and trades seven days a week. RinkSide was developed through a partnership between the Mustangs, Globe International and The District Docklands.