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The better retailers around Australia can sense a massive spending change is coming. Airlines like Qantas are getting a similar whiff. Those Australians who have escaped the Covid-19 financial blows have been accumulating money and enjoying the house price boom. They are ready to spend, particularly as there are no returns from savings in the bank.

On the sharemarket this looming spending boost which extends to the US is helping lift share prices. But there are deep problems in China and the US bond market this week raised the warning flag — prepare for higher interest rates on the back of a boost to inflation. If the bond market warnings see bond rates rise further it means lower share and property prices.

I will discuss China and the bond warning below. First the spending boost.

As always, the retail beneficiaries of the hoarded cash (and borrowing capacity) will be those that catch the imagination of consumers. But not every retailer will fully tap the market because of three underlying hazards.

The pandemic has boosted online retailing beyond expectations but most retailers outsource their online distribution to Australia Post. Sadly, with the departure of Christine Holgate as CEO of Australia Post, the government owned enterprise now has serious delivery delay problems. It blames the quantity of goods but that was predictable. Australia Post now endangers the Christmas trade. Holgate is developing a rival parcel business by fixing the troubled former Toll operation, but that will take time.

An even bigger concern are events in China. Will China have the goods available to satisfy the Australian and international demand? And will Australians pay the much higher prices that are ahead? For those lucky enough to have a cash pile to spend, best do it now because prices are going to rise substantially and shortages are a clear risk. And those price rises and shortages will extend to food

Its important to understand the turmoil in China plus the inflationary pressures building up not just in China, but the US and Europe.

Let’s look at China through three prisms: Australians buying goods in China; Chinese citizens buying dwellings and finally via the vast numbers of Chinese who have been chasing yields by lending to Chinese property developers and second-grade financial institutions. Investors from around Asia and wider afield also chased those Chinese property developer yields.

When Australian retailers with good relations with their Chinese suppliers discuss what is taking place in China they are horrified. Energy costs have gone through the roof and there are often periodic power outages. Labour is in short supply, often because of Covid-19 restrictions. Raw materials are hard to come by and shipping costs have risen ten-fold. American demand is also gathering momentum and Americans have greater buying power than Australia. The Chinese may get their act together but, as it now stands, there will be shortages and much higher prices in coming months.

For a long time the Chinese dwelling market has been akin to Australia on steroids. Property development is around 30 per cent of the Chinese economy and provides the revenue base for local governments.

Speculators have made large sums buying off-the-plan apartments with small deposits and then on-selling. Prices have kept rising, making it harder and harder for younger Chinese to enter the dwelling market.

Suddenly the Chinese government has said it wants to reduce speculation and bring the prices back to more affordable levels. So far official values are stable but the amount of people buying apartments has been slashed and highly leveraged developers cannot find the money to complete their developments. The giant Evergrande developer is teetering on the brink of collapse and there are many more in the same position.

Unfinished apartments are selling at very low prices and the market is in considerable disarray. Markets have always assumed that China could not afford the economic dislocation that massive property developer crashes would create. But so far China has not undertaken widespread rescue operations — although it is likely, at the very least, that it will find a way to complete apartments for those Chinese residents who bought off the plan.

Given the importance of building construction in the Chinese economy, without a massive rescue, China is facing a downturn and this will impact the globe. In the past China has always pulled the rescue levers that it has available when construction looked like falling and it’s still possible that will happen.

If you are a punter and want 20-30 per cent theoretical yields then there are plenty of Chinese developers’ bonds available. But there are great fears that overseas investors in these virtually zombie companies will be left out in the cold in any rescue.

The impacts of these losses will spread around Asia and the rest of the world. In situations like this it usually takes time for the truth to come out but almost certainly there will be major groups that got caught.

The world prices of gas and oil are going through the roof. For a variety of reasons, including the availability of capital for carbon emitting industries, the world has substantially reduced exploration expenditure on oil and gas. There have been very few big oilfields discovered and, meanwhile, the large fields in the Middle East are headed towards a declining stage. Not surprisingly OPEC is reluctant to increase production too far because that hastens the reserves decline. Higher oil and gas prices are going to going to underpin inflation around the world.

Many in the sharemarket believe that while US inflation might be headed to the 6 per cent level it will be temporary because the supply chain problems in China, the oil price hikes and the shortage of skills in the US will be temporary.

I think that’s optimistic and the 10-year bond rate in the US, which fell to around 1.2 per cent some months ago, is now rising beyond the 1.5 cent benchmark — a clear danger sign because if that rate keeps advancing it will impact asset values around the world including property. Central banks are desperately trying to keep a lid on interest rates via low official rates and bond buying but the underlying trends we are seeing in the US, China, Europe and Australia are ominous. New Zealand has already faced reality and lifted official rates.

Here in Australia unions are becoming very aggressive and looking for big pay rises and/or substantial reductions in productivity via use of less casual labour.

Australian managers are not used to it and governments, particularly Labor state governments, will have great difficulty rejecting these claims.

If inflation does break out then and interest rates rise it will then it will substantially reduce consumer spending. The great fear among many economists is that we will then head to a period of inflation with stagnation: the 1970s “stagflation”.

In Australia we will need substantial rises in migration to avoid that taking place.

Ask Solomon Lew how fashion retailer Premier Investments thrived in the face of the arrival in Australia of Amazon, and he says the answer is simple.

“We develop and manufacture all our own product,” he says.

“You can’t buy our product on Amazon. There is no availability. So, if people want to buy online, and want to buy our brands, they have got to come to our online site.”

Having control of the marketing, pricing, distribution and in-store presentation of Premier’s seven fashion brands has been the key to its success in becoming the country’s best retailer.

Premier is a dazzling case study of how to take a handful of domestic brands sold through bricks and mortar outlets and beholden to shopping mall landlords and turn it into a global business with rising profit margins.

France’s Kering will stop using animal furs in all its collections, joining a growing list of luxury fashion houses to respond to customer demands for ethical and sustainable clothing and accessories.

The decision comes four years after its star label Gucci announced it would forego fur. A number of fashion houses followed suit, including Italy’s Prada, Burberry and outerwear specialist Canada Goose, which had come under fire for its use of coyote fur.

With an eye to building future generations of luxury customers, fashion labels have doubled-up efforts to burnish their sustainability credentials with younger, environmentally-conscious shoppers.

Starting from the fall 2022 collections, none of the group’s houses will use fur, the statement said.

“The time has now come to take a further step forward by ending the use of fur in all our collections. The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that,” François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering, pictured above, said.

While the group’s houses, which include Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Saint Laurent, have phased out fur in recent years, Friday’s company-wide ban closes the door to its use in the future, even in the event of a change in creative direction.

Larger rival LVMH leaves the decision on fur use to its creative directors.

Although coats made entirely from fur have fallen out of fashion in recent years it has continued to be used as a trim, or in luxury handbags.

Images of mass cullings of coronavirus-infected mink in Denmark at the height of the coronavirus pandemic prompted public outcry and heightened demands to ban the use of animal products in the fashion industry.

“The announcement is a significant blow to the declining fur trade and puts pressure on the few remaining fashion brands that continue to sell fur to follow suit,” said the Humane Society

The cost of shipping around the world has skyrocketed.  Until now most retailers have absorbed the costs, but with no end in sight to the shipping crisis, it’s possible the price of goods for consumers is going to rise. Some retailers have already announced they’re passing on these costs to their customers.

What caused shipping costs to surge?

In summary, a supply and demand story unfolded.

In 2019 ocean freight slumped. Then in 2020, the pandemic sparked an unprecedented surge in demand for goods resulting in a worldwide shortage of shipping containers.  Simultaneously, in Australia, the Government’s stimulus package, at a time when international travel was halted and restaurants etc closed meant that household disposable income increased (RBA). 

Spending shifted from services to goods, the demand for which is now at pre-pandemic levels.

Small retailers are disproportionately affected by the supply chain disruption. They have less ability to take mitigating action such as stockpiling inventory due to cashflow and warehousing costs. We’re hearing of large retailer’s stockpiling 8-12 months’ inventory!

Big companies lock in long term shipping contracts at agreed prices.

Retailers like Ecodownunder who are not big enough to enter long term shipping contracts have to buy the remaining space available on ships, on the spot market. It’s the cost of this space that has escalated.    The shortage of shipping containers and the inability to get empty shipping containers back to the source of the goods exacerbates the problem.

Australia imports more container ships than it exports, which means Australian retailers must often pay a surcharge just to get the ships to dock here.  This is all compounded by industrial action in local ports and a lack of passenger flights which pre-COVID carried significant quantities of freight.

Getting stock in time for Christmas is the biggest concern for many. Not only are manufacturers in Asia experiencing delays in production due to lockdowns, but products are taking more than twice as long to get here.  Ecodownunder used to receive goods 4 weeks after departing Mumbai.  It’s now taking at least 2-3 months and that’s if you can get a container! We’ve just been quoted US$9,500 for a 40-foot container, 7 times what we used to pay. Freight prices are going up weekly.

Soaring shipping costs increase the landed cost per unit of goods.  For bulky goods, the additional cost added per product is high.  We’re fortunate that our bulkier wool products, quilts and pillows etc are made in Australia and so don’t incur freight costs.  If prices continue to rise and shipping delays continue to grow, more businesses will start to look at sourcing products locally.  A win for Australian Made! We’re already seeing our competitors who import from China, looking to source from our Australian manufacturers.

Seasonality of stock has caught many retailers out with winter products arriving in Spring.   The new norm for us means planning and ordering inventory at least 6 months ahead instead of the three months that was required pre-COVID.

The RBA figures show the price for shipping containers quadrupled in the year to June 2021, reflecting the Ecodownunder experience.  With demand continuing to rise, bottlenecks in shipping are likely to persist into 2022 which will mean further price rises.  This will likely lead to tighter supply chains.  Concerns about the reliability and cost of imported goods will encourage more businesses to onshore to reduce shipping costs and time.  A win for Australian made!

And a reduction in international shipping will be a win for the environment with less carbon emissions contributing to global warming.

Ask Airlie Funds Management founder John Sevior the single best investment in his career as an institutional investor and he will name kitchen appliances group Breville.

While working at Perpetual Investments during the depths of the global financial crisis in 2008-09, Sevior waded into Breville at 65¢ a share and built a 15 per cent stake, which was the maximum Perpetual could hold under its mandate.

“I bought some shares and held them for a long time and sold them at a substantial gain,” he told a Livewire podcast earlier this month.

“There’s a lesson I guess in being brave, when the lights are flickering, which was the positive lesson.

“The other lesson, which is also positive is it could have been a lot more profitable for me. I sold those shares at a substantial gain, but they’ve since tripled.

Super Retail Group has announced that Macpac CEO Alex Brandon will step down from the role in October. 

Brandon will be replaced by current Priceline Pharmacy GM of retail operations Cathy Seaholme on October 25. 

A seasoned retail operator, Seaholme will bring seven years of experience from The Body Shop Australia, as well as 13 years at Country Road Group, to her new position at Macpac. 

The leadership transition forms part of a planned strategy, following Super Retail Group's acquisition of Macpac in 2018 for NZ$144 million. 

Super Retail Group CEO Anthony Heraghty thanked Brandon for his work and leadership of the brand. 

"During nearly a decade leading Macpac, Alex has overseen its evolution from a small wholesale business to one of the most recognisable outdoor adventure brands in our region. 

"Following the successful integration of Macpac into Super Retail Group, now is the right time for a leadership transition," Heraghty said. 

Heraghty added that the Group is excited for what Seaholme will bring to the brand. 

"In wishing Alex all the very best for the future, we acknowledge his critical role in successfully integrating Macpac with Super Retail Group and thank him for his leadership and his commitment to maintaining the heritage, quality and integrity of the Macpac brand. 

"Cathy's appointment represents the culmination of a long-planned succession strategy for the Macpac business and I am confident her deep retail experience and commitment to the customer will help drive the next phase of growth for Macpac," Heraghty said. 

Speaking on his departure, Brandon praised Macpac and what it has achieved as part of Super Retail Group. 

"It has been a privilege to lead our passionate team of dedicated team members who have contributed to the success of Macpac and grown awareness of a truly authentic and sustainable brand. 

"I am particularly proud of our track record of leading innovation without in any way diminishing our proud heritage deep-rooted in adventure," he said. 

In its FY21 results, Macpac reported a 16.3% increase in sales to $153.4 million, as a result of a 14.2% increase in like for like sales. 

The brand's online sales lifted 38% to $30 million, accounting for 21% of sales. 

Seaholme will officially take up her position on October 25 and will relocate with her family to New Zealand to operate out of Macpac's headquarters in Christchurch. 

Premium bike company Factor Bikes plans to use an injection of cash from billionaire Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar and Sydney-based private equity outfit Point King Capital to fast track its global ambitions.

The British bike company has had a strong Australian connection ever since it first launched its bikes at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide in 2016 and has now brought on the Australian investors alongside four time Tour de France winner Chris Froome to lead the next stage of its expansion.

Factor’s founder and chief executive, Rob Gitelis, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the company was different to the majority of its competitors, which rely on third-party manufacturers, as it has its own manufacturing facilities in Taiwan.

“Essentially they are design and marketing companies while we control the entire process because we are a manufacturer,” he said.

The level of customisation available through controlling the manufacturing process is what enabled Factor to attract both Froome and keen cyclist Mr Farquhar, who participated in the $US10 million ($13.45 million) funding round through his investment vehicle Skip Capital which he runs with wife Kim Jackson.

“Scott visited our Melbourne showroom about six months ago and spent the better part of a week riding a Factor down in Melbourne,” Mr Gitelis said.

“[Froome] gave us some input about things that he would prefer and we were able to turn it around incredibly quickly to get him another bike to try, and he had never had that sort of experience before with his previous brand. It was always many months if not at all, being able to do any kind of changes or modifications.”

Factor plans to build out its direct-to-consumer brand for bikes which start at $15,000 with a focus on North America, the United States and Australia, where it is set to open a new flagship store in Melbourne and to launch a range of mountain bikes.

Sam McKay, founding partner at Point King, said consumer brands were based on product, people and distribution.

He said Factor had the product with bikes which were “best in class machines”, top people in Mr Gitelis and his team and so the focus would be on distribution and helping the brand grow globally.

Mr McKay will represent both Point King and Skip on Factor’s board and said the investment followed on from Point King and Skip investing together in sustainable packaging and home-cleaning startup Zero Co last year.

“We’ve looked at things together and we shared a passion about the brand, the sport, the importance of health and wellness and people getting outside and the business opportunity about being able to partner with Rob and his team on building a large global brand,” he said. “With Rob, Chris, Point King and Skip, it’s a pretty interesting composition of investors who can together come up with hopefully pretty good outcomes for the business.”

Mr Farquhar said he loved cycling and so it was “a dream” to play a small part in what he said was one of the most innovative companies in the space.

“Rob is a wizard when it comes to building bicycles, and the team behind Factor are truly building something special,” he said.

Foulet has spent 20 years at Boardriders, which also owns clothing and lifestyle brands Roxy, Billabong, RVCA, DC Shoes, Element and Von Zipper.

He has been global chief information officer at the company since March 2015. Prior to this, he was global director of ecommerce and digital marketing between 2015 and 2016.

He has also been held numerous roles at Quiksilver, including as marketing director for Europe and managing director for Europe for the technical division, which included eyewear, watches and surf and mountain equipment.

He replaces Greg Healy, who was president for the EMEA and APAC regions. Healy will continue as APAC president.

Foulet said: "I am delighted to be taking over as head of the EMEA region at a key moment in Boardriders' history. Over the past few years, the group has built up a unique strength in the action sports and outdoor market by bringing together iconic brands without compromising their authenticity. Our mission today is to bring the full potential of our brands to life in the European market, in a dynamic environment in which our boardsports and outdoors activities are highly popular.

"Our objective is also to accelerate the evolution of our model in the light of current transitions: digital, operational and environmental,"

Online shopping startup Little Birdie has made a number of key hires, with ex-Uber product marketer David Jennings joining as chief marketing officer and ex-Kogan deputy CFO Joanne Smith appointed chief financial officer.

The business recently secured $30 million in funding from Commonwealth Bank to integrate its offer into the bank’s app, allowing it to dip its toe into the e-commerce landscape.

“I am thrilled to be part of the team that will help take Little Birdie to new heights, and I am looking forward to the challenge of guiding the business through rapid growth,” said Smith, who brings experience across e-commerce and technology businesses in Australia.

Smith was integral to Kogan’s IPO in 2016, and worked with KMPG’s advisory team to work on mergers, acquisitions and corporate transformations.

Jennings previously worked at Uber as head of global rider product marketing, where he oversaw the the UberX, Uber Pool, Uber Vaccine and Uber Rent brands.

“With online shopping becoming the norm, I’m incredibly excited to play a role in building a discovery platform that provides a birds-eye view of everything happening in shopping,” said Jennings.

Little Birdie was launched in August 2021, and aims to help consumers discover trending products, easily compare similar products from different brands and track prices to find the offer that best meets their needs before redirecting them to the retailer’s website to complete the transaction.

Myer has announced the launch of a new digital destination, The Movement at Myer, focused on giving customers comprehensive information and product selections in the sporting category. 

The Movement at Myer concept will cover all aspects of sport for men, women and kid’s lifestyle, fashion and footwear needs. 

The platform will also feature gym equipment and sports technology such as headphones, recovery tools and fitness trackers. 

As part of the launch, Myer will add more than 25 news brands to its portfolio including Raging Bull Sport, X+Y Active, Rockwear, DK Active, Gaiam, Mitchell & Ness, Majestic Athletic, Chloe and Lola Active, NCAA, SPT Football, Saucony, and Skechers.

Myer group merchandise manager Dean Austin said the new hub sets the business apart. 

"With an unparalleled range of sporting, lifestyle fashion, tech and equipment, The Movement at Myer launch is a department store first and truly sets us apart from the competitive sporting and activewear landscape.

"We are excited to launch more than 25 new brands and ranges including Tommy Sport, Superdry Sport, Asics, Brooks, Converse apparel and Lacoste Sport alongside our stable of powerhouse brands such as; Adidas, Puma, Champion and Reebok," he said. 

Additionally, the department store will welcome official AFL apparel and NBA apparel to The Movement at Myer brand portfolio exclusively in November.

Once restrictions lift in Victoria, Myer will also replicate the online destination in its Melbourne CBD store, with the whole basement floor set to be dedicated to fitness merchandise and interactive activations such as a football pitch and basketball court. 

"In November, we will launch The Fanzone – a sports fan’s paradise with dedicated apparel from AFL, American Sports and soccer," Austin explained. 

"This concept will include the first official AFL store in the Melbourne CBD, American sports fan apparel across NBA, NCAA, MLB and MFL plus SPT football that will cover football leagues across the globe.

"There will be personalisation stations for customers to get their name or favourite player on their jersey plus a football boot try on area.

"Backing this initiative is an enhanced online platform offering better customer experience and easier navigation. 

"We look forward to launching The Movement at Myer Melbourne as soon as retail restrictions lift," Austin said. 

In the meantime, the online destination will offer customers exclusive content pieces around fitness and lifestyle tips to showcase useability between the product and customer. 

The improved experience is set to offer easier navigation, broader visibility and greater choice.

The Movement at Myer is live online now. 

Mosaic Brands has returned to earnings growth despite faltering sales, clocking in a net profit figure of $2.7 million – 101 per cent up on last year – despite revenue falling 3.8 per cent during the year to 27 June.

Online sales also hit a new high of $111 million, up 19 per cent on the same period of last year.

Group chief executive Scott Evans said the business was incredibly pleased with the result, which came about after Mosaic Brands took actions to “reset the entire group for the future”.

“The benefits of these actions became evident in the fourth quarter, which delivered our second most profitable Q4 on record with comparable sales growth of 27.9 per cent and comparable margin growth of 33 per cent, against a backdrop of subdued sentiment amongst our core customer group due to Covid-19.”

And, while it said it had ended the financial year in a net positive cash position, the group has entered a trading halt in order to undertake a capital raising over the next few days in order to strengthen its balance sheet – given the uncertainty the current trading conditions create.

The first weeks of the new financial year have been difficult for Mosaic Brands, with the momentum gained in FY21 stalling due to widespread lockdowns.

“For the entire retail sector, it’s critical that by late October, stores nationally are able to open and be trading again,” said Mosaic Brands chairman Richard Facioni.

“From supply chain logistics to consumer and national sentiment, ongoing internal borders beyond this timeframe will leave lasting scars.”

Kiwi sustainable shoe company Allbirds is preparing to debut on Wall Street through an initial public offering which could value it at more than $US2 billion ($2.72 billion).

The direct-to-consumer woollen shoe brand has cult status in its native New Zealand where its sneakers are worn by Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and in Silicon Valley, where venture capitalists and startup founders team the sneakers with their Patagonia jackets. Devotees of Allbirds shoes range from Google co-founder Larry Page to actor and Allbirds investor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Allbirds has filed an S-1 to list on the tech-dominated Nasdaq exchange in an application which revealed high growth but also widening losses at the company.

Allbirds lost $US14.5 million in 2019, which widened to $US25.9 million in 2020, according to the S-1 filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). However, the company’s revenue continued to grow from $US193.7 million in 2019 to $US219.3 million in 2020.

Online sales made up 89 per cent of Allbirds total sales with more people shopping online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has also benefitted from the shift towards casual dressing.

Last year Allbirds raised $US100 million in a funding round that valued the company at $US1.7 billion. While the startup has listed the size of its offering as $US100 million, that figure is just a placeholder and will change when the terms of the share sale are set, with reports Allbirds is seeking to be valued at $US2 billion or more.

The company was started in New Zealand by Joseph Zwillinger and Timothy Brown in 2015 with the pair launching a Kickstarter campaign a year later for “Wool runners: No socks. No smell” which raised $120,000.

Mr Brown came up with the idea of using wool to make shoes when he was a professional footballer for the Newcastle Jets in Australia and Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand and teamed up with former clean-tech entrepreneur Mr Zwillinger.

“Coming from New Zealand, the land of the sheep I saw an opportunity, in wool, this miracle fibre that had been either overlooked or, you know, maybe it was just a really bad idea,” he told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald in a previous interview.

Allbirds wasn’t an instant success selling just one shoe in its first year of operations, but gradually it gained traction by using social media to build its brand and circumventing the traditional footwear sales model by selling direct to customers online.

It has now expanded beyond shoes into clothing, with the launch of a range of socks and activewear made from wool and eucalyptus fibres.

Nick Crocker, partner at venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures, said for Allbirds to have started out on Kickstarter and then five years later to have filed to go public on the Nasdaq was an amazing achievement.

“As a brand I think they have executed superbly, and they have built obsessive love among their customers which is never a fluke,” he said. “You don’t accidentally build that kind of customer love at scale, you build it with sustained effort, and quality over a long period of time.”

As a B-Corp certified business, which requires compliance with social and environmental standards, Allbirds’ S-1 sets out its plans for the listing to be a “sustainable public equity offering” or “SPO”.

“The more sustainable we are, the better we believe our products and business will be,” the document states. “We are proud of the alignment of financial and environmental benefits from our work, and that we are able to serve as a driving force in a new age of sustainable enterprise.”

A spokeswoman for Allbirds said she was unable to comment because of SEC restrictions.

Wesfarmers, the conglomerate that touches the lives of millions of Australians every day, has just delivered its best financial results for more than a decade.

Wesfarmers is one of the few Australian companies that deserves the “good to great” description first coined by American business analyst Jim Collins.

Collins focused on good companies that reached an inflection point in their history and stepped up to another level of sustained high performance.

The fiscal 2021 financial year looks to have been Wesfarmers’ inflection point, with a 16 per cent rise in net profit to $2.4 billion on the back of a 10 per cent rise in revenue to $33.9 billion.

Shareholders benefited from a 17 per cent increase in the full-year dividend to $1.78 and a $2.3 billion capital return of $2 a share. The capital return was a no-brainer given Wesfarmers had no net debt at June 30.

The company is showing the benefits of the important strategic moves made by chief executive Rob Scott since his appointment in 2017.

Wesfarmers has joined in the parade of businesses reaping the rewards of a strong year of trade, despite ongoing movement restrictions, signaling a 40 per cent jump in net profit to $2.38 billion.

The conglomerate’s retail sector, made up of Bunnings, Kmart Group and Officeworks, delivered strong sales of $33.9 billion (up 10 per cent) over the last 12 months, according to managing director Rob Scott.

“While Covid-19 had a significant impact on operations during the year, the group’s businesses maintained their focus on building deep customer relations and trust,” Scott said.

“Customer demand remained resilient, [though] sales growth in Bunnings, Officeworks and Catch moderated from mid-March as the businesses began to cycle elevated demand following the onset of Covid-19 in the prior year.

“Pleasingly, sales growth from mid-March remained strong on a two-year basis across all of the Group’s retail businesses.”

According to Scott, digital engagement with the business’ brands increased throughout the year and, including sales on the Catch Marketplace, hit $3.3 billion.

Revenue at Bunnings increased 12.5 per cent over the course of FY21, reaching $16.8 billion, with Scott noting the business’ success was due to its resilient operating model and the ability to adapt to changing consumer needs.

Kmart Group, which operates Kmart, Target and Catch, saw revenue grow to $9.9 billion for the year.

“Kmart and Target earnings growth [of 69 per cent to $693 million] was driven by higher sales, lower clearance costs and an improvement in the cost of doing business as a result of planned network changes,” Scott said.

“This was partially offset by higher operational costs associated with online fulfilment and ongoing investment in technology in Kmart.”

Catch’s earnings were also impacted by investments in technology, marketing and fulfilment capabilities to support further growth. No such investments in Target were mentioned, though the planned changes in Target’s store network (that is, converting them to Kmart stores) saw trading results “exceed internal expectations”.

Likewise, Officeworks’ revenue jumped 8.7 per cent to $3 billion, while earnings increased to $212 million, supported by strong sales growth, but hampered by continued pressure on margins.

All businesses have seen sales tumble in the last seven weeks, however, as Sydney’s lockdown has spread across the country and caused retail restrictions to be reinstated.

“The impact of lockdowns and household and business confidence has become more acute as recent lockdowns have been extended and further widespread restrictions would negatively impact overall business activity and the group’s trading performance,” Wesfarmers said.

As such, the business said it would continue to support vaccination efforts, including among its own team members.

Top retail chief executives are strongly behind the goal of hitting vaccination targets and getting the economy open again well before Christmas to revive the economy and the health of the nation’s people.

But some CEOs are pessimistic and believe slow vaccination rates and sporadic lockdowns to deal with future COVID-19 variant outbreaks could push the reopening into the first half of next year and delay the resumption of significant international air travel until 2023.

Rob Scott, CEO of Wesfarmers, which owns the Bunnings hardware, Officeworks and Kmart retail chains and a clutch of industrial businesses, said a 70 per cent vaccination rate – the lower end of the 70 per cent to 80 per cent threshold given by the Doherty Institute’s modelling for ending lockdowns – should be safe for retail businesses to open up again well before Christmas.

“We’ve demonstrated they’re safe and as the community gets to that level of vaccination, there will be no reason for the businesses to be shut. I think well in advance of Christmas is a very reasonable target,” Mr Scott told The Australian Financial Review.

But he said it would not be like turning on a light switch and everything reopening on the same day, and even at 70 per cent to 80 per cent community vaccination, vulnerable people such as the elderly, Indigenous communities and others who were unvaccinated would need to be looked after.

A cohort of Australian fashion brands have come together to donate new clothing and products to Afghan refugees who have been evacuated and are being brought to Australia. 

The initiative was launched by Tessa Carroll, founder of A_C Official and The Common Good Company, and has been brought to life in consultation with the Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. 

Alongside Carroll's brands, Sans Beast, Rocc Naturals, Team Timbuktu and Borne Clothing have come on board to donate unworn samples and excess stock to the cause. 

Speaking on the program, Carroll said while it's a challenging time for business right now, she wanted to focus on something positive. 

"It’s a hard time to be a small business but even harder to be in the fashion industry right now. 

"Instead of focusing on what is out of our control, we shifted focus to what we can do to contribute to those who are living through far harder circumstances than our own. 

"We put a call out to local brands for fresh, unworn samples and excess stock to share with the Afghan community who will hopefully be resettled here. 

"Many of whom have come with nothing but the clothes on their back which is a situation almost unfathomable to many of us. 

"The response was incredible and we are working closely with MSCWA to coordinate our efforts to supply these goods to those who have recently arrived and are going through their quarantine periods at the moment," she said. 

David Jones’ profits rebounded strongly in 2021, but the turnaround may prove short lived, with lockdowns in NSW and Victoria crunching sales in the first half of 2022.

David Jones’ South African parent, Woolworths Holdings, said the department store’s adjusted operating profit soared 282 per cent to $A84 million in the 12 months ending June after it cut costs, closed its loss-making stand-alone food stores, introduced new brands, cut back on markdowns and made more targeted offers to customers.

Sales rebounded 17.1 per cent in the June half, after falling by 17 per cent in the same period last year, lifting sales for the year by 2.3 per cent. David Jones said it received $35 million in Jobkeeper subsidies in the first half.

Online sales rose 24.4 per cent to 17.3 per cent of total sales and sales in David Jones’ Elizabeth Street flagship store grew 16.6 per cent, notwithstanding the drop in foot traffic in the Sydney CBD, after major renovations were completed last year.

However, Woolworths chief executive Roy Bagattini said the retailer had been hit hard by lockdowns in NSW and Victoria after being forced to temporarily close 70 per cent of its stores.

Brett Blundy’s BBRC International has sold its 16 per cent stake in youth focused retailer Universal Store in a block trade via Morgans.

The stock was sold at $7.20 a share in an $84 million trade on Thursday morning.

Blundy’s stock was released from escrow on Wednesday, when Universal Store presented its FY21 results.

The trade piggybacked on fellow Universal Store investor Five V Capital’s sale, which happened on Wednesday night.

Morgans also did that trade at $7.20 a share, which was a premium to the last close of $7.15.

The stock is understood to have been snapped up by fund managers.

It’s big news for Universal Store, which listed in November last year and was previously owned by a syndicate of private investors including Five V and BBRC.

Between BBRC and Five V, 23 per cent of the company changed hands overnight.

Best & Less’ first financial year as a public company exceeded its own expectations, with strong earnings and like-for-like sales growth driving a net profit result 191 per cent up on the prior year.

The department store business saw total sales hit $663.2 million, up 6.1 per cent, and its online division made up 9.2 per cent of total sales while like for like sales grew 10.8 per cent.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation jumped 165.2 per cent to $71.6 million, leading net profit to hit $47 million for the year.

Best & Less Group chief executive Rodney Orrock said he was very pleased to deliver a record result in the business’ first year as a listed company.

“Our record profit and high margin outcomes, despite continued disruption from Covid-19, were the result of disciplined execution of our strategy, centered around conveniently delivering a growing family’s clothing essentials, and a focus on effectively managing the things we can control, including our inventory and costs,” Orrock said.

“In this challenging environment the deep retail sector experience of our management team pays off, enabling us to respond effectively to rapidly changing conditions.”

During the year the business made progress on a number of key initiatives, such as improving the experience of its online platform and investing in expanding click-and-collect and ship-from-store capabilities amid the increasingly online trading environment.

However, with bricks-and-mortar trade is currently being impacted by lockdown restrictions across Australia, Best & Less’ main goal for the year ahead is to remain as flexible and productive as possible to prepare it for the inevitable relaxation of restrictions.

“FY21 was a fantastic year for BLG, demonstrating the strength of our customer proposition, growth strategy and ability to execute and be agile in challenging times,” Orrock said.

“While FY22 is off to a challenging start … our strong team and results focus will hold us in good stead through the next few months until vaccinate rates and conditions normalise.”

Plus-size fashion firm City Chic has enjoyed the consumer-led switch to online retail, with 73 per cent of its FY21 total sales of $258.5 million coming through its online.

The business’ global active customer base, now spread across Australia, New Zealand, the US, UK, and European markets, hit one million for the first time this year, driving an underlying net profit growth of 80.6 per cent to $24.9 million.

“Our strategic vision to lead a world of curves has taken a huge step in the last twelve months, despite the impacts of the pandemic,” said City Chic chief executive officer Phil Ryan.

“Our razor-sharp focus on the three pillars of plus-size, digital and global customer acquisition have again delivered strong results.”

In Australia and New Zealand, the business saw topline sales growth of 27.1 per cent to $144.5 million, and is currently working on transitioning a number of its stores to new fit-outs, while 14 holdover sites are currently permanently closed with no rent deals reached with landlords.

The business’ US e-commerce sites, Avenue, City Chic and Hips and Curves, contributed $94 million of sales to the business this year, though the business had to pay higher logistics costs due to temporary freight surcharges in the first half.

City Chic also made a number of acquisitions throughout the year, namely the Evans brand in the UK and the Navabi brand in Europe. Both businesses are now trading above pre-acquisition levels, as the regions continue to move toward a ‘normal’ trading environment.

And, in an effort to further penetrate the US market, City Chic’s products will soon be available on a number of online marketplaces: eBay and The Iconic in Australia, Walmart, Amazon and Target in the US, Debenhams, Amazon and Very in the UK, and Zalando in Germany.

“Heading into FY22 City Chic is focused on the strategy of delivering its significant product range to the global plus-sized market through its global digital and physical storefronts,” the business said.

Part of this strategy will see the Evans and Avenue brands brought to Australia to cater to a more ‘conservative value’ product opportunity, as well as further expand into marketplaces across the regions as the year goes on.