A group of Australian and New Zealand retail executives gathered at the Australian High Commission in London on Monday 20 February to share advice and celebrate their successes in the UK market.
Hosted by the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), the reception brought together representatives from some of the biggest local brands including Kikki.K, Typo, Just Cuts and RM Williams.
Australian brands are big business in the UK. In 2014 and 2015, Australian retail companies delivered over £203 million pounds (approximately AUD$330 million) in capital investment and 1,800 jobs to the region.
As Retailbiz previously reported, a number of Australian retailers have become big names internationally, and retail expert Brian Walker predicts more Australian businesses will go head overseas in the coming years.
“Culturally there’s something about the Australian psyche about having a go; not dying wondering, that actually plays a part as well,” he explained.
“The expansion is happening, the question is whether it’s led by medium-size businesses, like Lorna Jane, or by large corporates. [Either way] it paves the way to show others that it can be done.”
According to British Consul General and Director General UK DIT, Australia and NZ, Michael Ward, it was this expansion that was celebrated at the DIT event.
“With over 60 million consumers making 320 million transactions a week and a mature ecommerce market, where spend is more online per head than anywhere else in the world, the UK is a prime destination for Australasian retailers looking to expand their global footprint,” he said.
“The UK is also leading the way when it comes to retail technology, with the adoption of smart technology such as time delay mirrors, smart change rooms and wearable technology.”
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