Australian Retailers Association

What Australian Retailers Association does

The Australian Retail Council (ARC) is a private, member-based trade association that serves as the unified national advocacy body for Australian retail. Formed in February 2026 through the merger of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA, founded 1903) and the National Retail Association (NRA), ARC represents a retail sector valued at A$444 billion that employs approximately 1.4 million Australians across metropolitan, regional, and remote communities. The organization represents 12,000+ member businesses ranging from small independents (constituting 95% of membership) to national and multinational brands including Woolworths, Coles, 7-Eleven, Subway, and Forty Winks. ARC is headquartered in Sydney and operates within the regulatory advocacy and professional services sector rather than as a technology company.

ARC's service portfolio is structured around four membership tiers — Retail Membership (variable pricing tied to annual turnover), Industry Affiliate ($999+GST annually), Industry Professional ($299+GST), and Academic Associate ($199+GST) — alongside specialized services including the ARC Retail Institute (training), an EnableHR-powered ERMS portal for workforce management, tenancy and business law advisory, retail trading hours guidance, an industry dashboard with consumer insights, and a calendar of events including the Leaders Forum, CEO Lunch, International Women's Day Luncheon, Sustainability Lunch, and ARC Retail Awards. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership subscriptions, event ticket sales and sponsorships, and training and education program fees.

The go-to-market model combines direct field sales for enterprise retailers with self-service online membership acquisition for SMBs, layered with community-led engagement through events, advisory committees, and partnerships. The organization is governed by a Board chaired by Nicole Sheffield (Managing Director of Wesfarmers OneDigital) with representation from major enterprise retailers, and is led by CEO Chris Rodwell alongside a C-suite including Chief Economist Glenn Fahey (formerly of the Australian Treasury and OECD), CLO Lindsay Carroll, and COO Nathalie Rosette-Barber (ex-David Jones). ARC holds Principal Partnership with American Express and Strategic Partnerships with Afterpay, Australia Post, Deloitte, REST, and Roy Morgan, anchoring its commercial and data ecosystem.

Name

Australian Retailers Association

Legal name

Australian Retail Council

Website

https://retail.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Australian Retail Council (ARC) is a private member-based trade association formed in February 2026 from the merger of ARA and NRA. It advocates for 12,000+ Australian retail businesses across a A$444 billion sector and provides workplace relations advice, legal support, training, events, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from retail businesses, structured by annual turnover bands (from SMB 200K-1.9M tiers to large national retailers). Provides access to workplace relations advice, legal support, industry insights, events, and training.
2. Affiliate Membership Fees: Fees from industry-affiliated businesses that supply or service retailers, providing access to supplier directory listings, marketing opportunities, and member communications.
3. Industry Professional Membership: Fees from individual industry professionals such as coaches, mentors, and non-executive directors supporting the retail community.
4. Academic Associate Membership: Fees from educational institutions and post-graduate retail students for access to industry whitepapers, data, and member-priced events.
5. Event Revenue: Ticket sales and sponsorships from industry events including the Leaders Forum, CEO Lunch, International Women's Day Luncheon, Sustainability Lunch, Retail Awards, and Global Sourcing Expo.
6. Training and Education: Revenue from ARC Retail Institute providing accredited and non-accredited training programs for retail professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Australian Retailers Association (now part of the Australian Retail Council following the 2026 merger of ARA and NRA) operates as a member-based retail industry trade association providing tiered membership, workplace relations and legal advisory services, retail training, industry events, policy advocacy, and research/insights for Australian retail businesses ranging from independents to national chains.

Product overview

Australian Retail Council (ARC) operates as a membership-based retail industry association offering a comprehensive suite of advocacy, advisory, and professional development services. The organization provides unified representation for Australian retail businesses (formed from the merger of ARA and NRA in 2026) and delivers services through several interconnected offerings: core membership tiers (Retail, Affiliate, Industry Professional, Academic Associate) providing access to workplace relations and legal support, the ARC Retail Institute for training, an ERMS portal for workforce management, tenancy and business law advice, retail trading hours guidance, industry insights through dashboards and reports, and a full calendar of events including the Leaders Forum, CEO Lunch, IWD Luncheon, Sustainability Lunch, and ARC Retail Awards. The organization advocates at federal and state levels on behalf of members and provides access to a supplier directory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARC Retail Institute: Education and training programs for retail professionals
• ARC Retail Awards
• ARC Leaders Forum
• ARC Sustainability Lunch
• ARC CEO Lunch

Products and services

• Retail Membership Annual membership for independent retailers, chains, franchises, and national/international brands operating in Australia. Provides expert workplace relations advice, legal support, exclusive research and consumer insights, national networking, tenancy advice, and training access.
• Industry Affiliate Membership Annual membership for industry-affiliated businesses that supply or service the retail industry. Provides supplier directory listing, marketing and advertising opportunities, access to ARC member portal, member-priced events, and member communications.
• Industry Professional Membership Annual individual membership for industry professionals supporting the retail community such as coaches, mentors, and non-executive directors. Includes website member login, newsletters, industry whitepapers, data, and member-priced event tickets.
• Academic Associate Membership Annual membership for educational institutions, individual educators, and post-graduate retail students. Includes website member login, newsletters, industry whitepapers, data access, and member-priced event tickets.
• Workplace Relations & Legal Support Expert workplace relations advice and legal support services for retail members, including compliance guidance, employment law assistance, member discounts on legal support, and access to dedicated workplace relations hotline for non-complex matters.
• ARC Retail Institute (Education & Training) Industry-leading training and development programs for retail teams covering leadership, customer experience, operations, digital capability, and compliance through accredited and non-accredited programs.
• Tenancy & Business Law Advice Legal guidance and advisory services for retail tenancy matters and broader business law considerations affecting retail operations.
• ARC Events & Networking National forums, industry breakfasts, roundtables and networking events including the annual Leaders Forum, CEO Lunch, International Women's Day Luncheon, and Sustainability Lunch, with paid ticket sales and sponsorship opportunities.
• ARC Retail Awards Annual awards program celebrating excellence and achievement in Australian retail across multiple categories, with sponsorship by American Express.
• Policy Advocacy & Submissions Representation and lobbying efforts at federal and state government levels on issues affecting the retail sector including economic reform, regulation, workforce, and retail crime.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.4 million Australians employed through represented retail sector worth A$444 billion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered principal partner, strategic partner, event partner, partner and supporter.

• American Expressprincipal partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAmerican Express serves as the Principal Partner of ARC, sponsoring major events including the ARC Retail Awards 2026 and CEO Lunch 2026. The partnership provides Amex merchant network visibility and co-branded event experiences for Australian retailers.
• Afterpaystrategic partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAfterpay is a Strategic Partner of ARC, sponsoring the International Women's Day Luncheon 2026. As a buy now, pay later service, Afterpay supports flexible shopping for retail customers and businesses across Australia.
• Australia Poststrategic partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAustralia Post is a Strategic Partner of ARC, sponsoring the Sustainability Lunch 2026. Australia's oldest continually operating organisation supports retail through parcel and eCommerce services.
• Deloittestrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte is a Strategic Partner providing consulting and advisory expertise to ARC. Representatives participate in events and forums discussing retail strategy, transformation, and innovation topics.
• RESTstrategic partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerREST is a Strategic Partner of ARC. One of Australia's largest profit-to-member superannuation funds with over 2 million members, REST supports retail employers and their employees.
• Roy Morganstrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoy Morgan is a Strategic Partner producing retail sales forecasts in conjunction with ARC and conducting consumer research for events like EOFY sales outlook. Longest established Australian market research company.
• Artemide Lawstrategic partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArtemide Law is a Strategic Partner providing legal advisory services to ARC members.
• Shopifyevent partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerShopify serves as an Event Partner for the Sustainability Lunch 2026, providing eCommerce platform expertise and support for retail digital transformation.
• GS1 AustraliapartnerTechnology or IntegrationGS1 Australia is a Partner of ARC. The organisation supports supply chain standards and barcoding for Australian retailers, having introduced barcoding to Australia in 1979.
• AurorpartnerTechnology or IntegrationAuror is a Partner of ARC providing retail crime prevention and security technology solutions for retailers.
• Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australiaevent partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCoca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia supports the BinToWin recycling promotion with ARC, rewarding shoppers for proper recycling bin use at Gold Coast shopping centres.
• ACCIsupporterStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is a Supporter of ARC, representing the broader business community alongside retail interests.
• NRFsupporterStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Retail Federation (NRF) is a Supporter of ARC, providing international retail industry connections and benchmarking.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/australianretailcouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-retail-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/australianretailcouncil_arc
• Xx.com/retailaustralia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Retailers Association