Politics of Growth
The politics of high-powered acquisitions and high-powered technology dominated Retail World headlines in the 1980’s.
The decade’s opening year saw the advent of technology hailed in the later years as rge “biggest changes since self-service”: front-end scanning. The first Australian supermarket to install front-end scanning, independent grocer Bill Sims’ SSW supermarket in Sunshine, Victoria, introduced the technology in April 1980 and by October of that year Mr Sims had opened the first fully scanned supermarket in Melton, Victoria, with 10 checkouts.
Retail World was owned by retailers and wholesalers
RW shareholders included:
- Composite Buyers Ltd
- TWD Ltd
- RG Withers Pty Ltd
- The National Association of Retailers Grocers of Australia (NARGA)
- Cut Price Retailers Ltd
- Masters Grocers’ Association of Victoria
- Four Square Stores Qld Ltd
- IG Stores
- Queensland Retail Traders and Shopkeepers’ Association
- Four Square Stores (NSW) Ltd
- Food Retailers’ Association of NSW
Directors:
- Doug Black
- Ron Lovell
- Graham Parnell
- Reg Withers
Managing Editor:
- Eric Stephens