EP #28 - What the War Means for Australian Retail, Feb Scoreboard, 10 Years of tRS

EP #28 - What the War Means for Australian Retail, Feb Scoreboard, 10 Years of tRS

From The Retail Scoreboard by the Retail Score

March 4, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the February 2026 retail results in Australia, highlighting the impact of global pressures and celebrating 10 years of The Retail Score.

Episode 28 of The Retail Scoreboard unpacks the February 2026 retail results , the growing global pressures shaping Australian retail , and reflects on 10 years of The Retail Score. Using anonymised data from 100+ retailers , the February scoreboard reveals a retail environment that remains fragile beneath the surface. Like-for-like sales lifted 1.2% , but once again the growth story is being driven by price rather than demand . Unit sales fell 2.6% and transactions declined 1.1% , signalling continued softness in consumer activity. Gross profit dollars rose 2.9% , with GP% up 1 point , while average selling prices increased 3.9% . This pushed average transaction value up 2.4% , highlighting how pricing continues to carry retail performance. Across channels, online remained the standout , growing 5.5% , with outlets also strong at 5.7% . Concessions delivered modest growth of 1.2% , while standalone stores slipped into decline at –0.4% , reinforcing the ongoing pressure on physical retail. State performance was mixed, with TAS and WA leading growth , while NSW, VIC and QLD all recorded declines . The episode also explores global forces now shaping retail , including geopolitical…

Topics covered

  • Australian retail performance
  • global economic pressures
  • e-commerce growth
  • consumer confidence
  • retail sales analysis
  • geopolitical impacts

Keywords

  • retail results
  • like-for-like sales
  • consumer activity
  • gross profit
  • average transaction value
  • online retail growth
  • physical retail decline
  • geopolitical conflict
  • energy costs
  • interest rates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Retail Score

Places: Australia, TAS, WA, NSW, VIC, QLD

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