Retail Therapy

Best of Season One: Work/Life Balance

To round out our ‘best of’ episodes we’re taking a look back at the insights we learned about the work/life balance of the top retail CEOs in Australia.  
Do they wake up at 5am? How do they fit it all in? What’s their exercise routine? Take a sticky beak into the lives of our guests...  
ABOUT THE ARA:
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: retail.org.au
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Best of Season One: DE&I

The topic of Diversity, Equality & Inclusion was a common conversation thread throughout series one of Retail Therapy and we are delighted to share with you some snippets from Australia’s top retail CEOs and leaders. 
In this Best of Season One, our guests candidly share their experience throughout their own careers and insights into creating change in their organisations. As leaders, creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace for generations to come is at the top of their priority list.
ABOUT THE ARA:
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: retail.org.au
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Best of Season One: Digital Innovation

Let's continue our look back at the 'Best of Season One' of the ARA Retail Therapy podcast.  
This week we’re focusing on the digital trends and innovations that are occurring within the retail industry, many accelerated by COVID-19 and the heavier reliance on digital for convenience and safety by our customers and teams. 
As leaders at the top of their organisations, our guests from Season One have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to innovation. Their insights into the future of retail and how digital drives different categories are a must listen.
ABOUT THE ARA:
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: retail.org.au
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Best of Season One: Sustainability

Let's continue our look back at the 'Best of Season One' of the ARA Retail Therapy podcast.  
This week we're focusing on our discussions about sustainability, where our guests shared what they believe the role of retailers is in driving better sustainability outcomes for our planet, as well as what their organisations are doing now and into the future to tackle climate change.   
Sustainability and climate change are becoming increasingly important issues for retailers in Australia and across the globe. The retail sector plays a unique role in the community, with the potential to drive meaningful change in our transition to the low-carbon economy of the future, and an ability to powerfully influence consumers and suppliers in the shift towards more sustainable production and consumption.  
We learned a lot from our guests about what consumers are calling for and what they are doing both in-store and in the supply chain to address this.  
Thank you for your continued support of the ARA’s Retail Therapy podcast. We can’t wait to share what we have planned for season two.   
ABOUT THE ARA:   
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: https://www.retail.org.au/   
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Best of Season One: Leadership

To celebrate the end of the crazy year that was 2021 and the conclusion of the first season of Retail Therapy, over the next couple of months we’ll be running through some of the highlights from our most recent conversations as part of the ‘Best of Season One’ series.  
Each fortnight we’ll be focusing on a topic such as leadership, work/life balance, sustainability, diversity and innovation.  
First up... we’re looking at leadership. With such a high calibre of retail leaders and influencers this season, our chats about leadership were both insightful and inspiring. Enjoy!  
Thank you for your continued support of the ARA’s Retail Therapy podcast. We can’t wait to share what we have planned for season two.  
ABOUT THE ARA:  
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: https://www.retail.org.au/  
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Christmas special: Storytelling through fashion

In the final ARA Retail Therapy podcast Christmas special, ARA CEO Paul Zahra speaks with Edwina McCann, Editor-in-Chief of VOGUE Australia.  
Edwina is responsible for the VOGUE brand across digital, print and social media platforms. VOGUE is synonymous with fashion and beauty and the internationally recognised brand is read by millions of people across the globe.  
In this episode Edwina and Paul discuss: 
The resilience of Australian fashion designers  
Manufacturing and supply chain issues  
The boom of the luxury market 
The impact of fashion on mental health  
What’s in store for fashion events moving forward  
Sustainability priorities for brands and consumers  
Indigenous designers and storytelling
Digital transformation in the magazine industry   
The essential wardrobe items for Summer
The perfect Christmas day
ABOUT THE ARA: 
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: https://www.retail.org.au/ 
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Creating optimism this Christmas

Christmas special: Joining ARA CEO Paul Zahra for some Retail Therapy in the Amex Lounge today is Gemma Rees, Managing Partner at Fabric and Keenan Motto, Creative Partner at Fabric – which is part of the TBWA network – a strategic and design-led agency specialising in fashion and lifestyle brands.  
Since the launch of the agency in 2019, Fabric has developed some iconic campaigns for retailers including MJ Bale, General Pants and Sheridan – they are also a strategic partner of the ARA, delivering our new brand and design systems as well as other campaigns to support and promote the retail industry.    
As we head into the important festive trading period – a well-executed campaign around Christmas could make or break the fortunes for a retailer. Gemma and Keenan sat down with Paul Zahra in the Amex Lounge to talk about the upcoming Christmas shopping period and explore their top tips to retailers during this critical time.  
Paul, Keenan and Gemma discuss:  
The time and effort that goes into bringing a Christmas campaign to life  
Functional and tactical Christmas campaigns  
Leaning into the mindset and emotion of people  
The evolution of Christmas campaigns over the years  
Taking an omni-channel approach to reach wider audiences  
The role of online and in-store experiences  
The uniqueness of an Australian Christmas  
Conscious consumerism, sustainability and circularity trends  
Iconic Christmas campaigns that have left a lasting legacy  
Check out Fabric Agency: https://www.fabricagency.com.au/
ABOUT THE ARA: 
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: https://www.retail.org.au/ 
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 
 

Christmas special: What’s in store for retailers this year?

In this first Christmas bonus episode of Retail Therapy, our own Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown joins ARA CEO Paul Zahra in the AMEX Lounge to discuss the upcoming Christmas shopping season and what's in store for retailers.   
Paul and Fleur discuss:  
International supply chain issues  
Favourite Christmas movies  
Expected Christmas spending broken down by state and territory 
Most popular items this year  
WFH trends impacting top items
What goes on behind the scenes at a department store during Christmas planning
Looking for tradition after a tough year 
How consumer sentiment is tracking    
ABOUT THE ARA: 
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: https://www.retail.org.au/ 
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Blazing our own trail

In the last episode of Season 1 of Retail Therapy Paul Zahra speaks with Erica Berchtold, CEO of THE ICONIC. THE ICONIC is part of Global Fashion Group, one of the world's largest fashion retail businesses, connecting over 10,000 global and local fashion brands to a market of more than one billion customers. 
THE ICONIC has seen huge success since its inception in 2011 and with Erica now at the helm, the brand continues to evolve and transform to serve customers and partner brands in incredibly innovative ways. Her insights into leadership, digital innovation and utilising customer data are essential listening for any retail leader, innovator or business owners.  
In this episode of Retail Therapy, Paul and Erica discuss: 
Integrating bricks and mortar with online retailing 
Being a data driven business  
The journey to becoming a CEO 
How we’re all buying trackies, ugg boots and sexual wellness products
Sustainability progress in the retail industry 
Advice for women in the industry 
What keeps Erica up at night  
ABOUT THE ARA: 
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: https://www.retail.org.au/ 
Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 

Colouring the world

Joining Paul Zahra for some Retail Therapy this week in the Amex Lounge is Camilla CEO, Jane McNally. Jane is responsible for bringing the artistic vision of designer Camilla Franks to life. 
Camilla is a much-loved Australian fashion brand, with 21 boutiques across the country, showcasing vibrant clothing and accessories for women - and a growing collection of menswear as well.  
Jane and Paul discuss:  
Designing with inclusivity  
Fashion as collectors' items  
Growing up with resilience   
Developing ambition  
Her start in retail  
Learning ‘cash is king’ the hard way 
Leadership during Covid 
Living brand purpose and values
Camilla’s focus on sustainability 
What’s in the pipeline for the brand 
Learn more about American Express: https://www.americanexpress.com/au/merchant/accept-amex-cards.html 
ABOUT THE ARA: 
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $360bn sector which employs one in ten Australians. Learn more: retail.org.au 
Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.