The meeting, organised by the Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA), will involve 13 major jewellery organisations representing more than 1,700 jewellery stores – the equivalent of 55 per cent of the total number of stores in Australia.
Michael Hill, James Pascoe Group (Prouds the Jewellers, Angus & Coote, Goldmark), Shiels Jewellers, Zamels and Pandora are among those that have confirmed attendance at the gathering, scheduled Monday 23 March.
Those present will be briefed on how leasing information can be uploaded to the Leasing Information Systems (LIS) rental database, which is now available for retailers located in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
In late 2014, the JAA obtained an exemption from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that enabled members located in southern states to upload their lease and rent details to a database. Until then, the service was limited to retailers in NSW, Queensland and the ACT.
LIS managing director Simon Fonteyn will demonstrate how data can be accessed and how it will be de-identified in accordance with the ACCC authority.
JAA president, and chair of the meeting, Selwyn Brandt, explained, “This is the culmination of a 12-month project aimed at assisting the industry to achieve lower store rentals. We are exceptionally pleased that all of the chains are able to attend.”
The meeting – described by the JAA as being ‘historic’ in nature – will also involve a panel discussion with representatives from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) and the Shopping Centre Council of Australia.
It will focus on strategies to assist the industry in reducing rental costs – jewellery stores pay approximately 16 per cent more per square metre than other specialty retailers – as well as the lobbying efforts regarding the reduction of the GST threshold.
Nationwide Jewellers, Showcase Jewellers and Leading Edge Jewellers will also be in attendance.
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