Chairman of the National Retail Association (NRA), Mark Brodie has released a letter to NRA members stating that the discussion of a merge between NRA and Australian Retail Association (ARA) will not continue.
The associations came to a conclusion to stay as individual groups, rather than creating a single body industry.
“Sadly, we were not able to strike a deal that would have secured a merger while also protecting the interests of NRA members,” Mr Brodie opened with.
A main concern for Mr Brodie and the NRA, was that smaller retailer voices would be silenced if a deal were to be negotiated.
However, there are hopes that the merger will occur in the future. “The Board remains supportive of a pure merge between our two organisations and is of the view that it should continue to be a long-term goal,” he said.
“We also remain open to working collaboratively with the ARA on issues of mutual interest to our members and the broader retail sector, as we have done in the past. These issues have included Modern Award Reviews, tax reform and campaigns in support of retail workers.”