This week, our team joined more than 200+ leaders at the Large Format Retail Association (LFRA) Explore & VIC Forum in Melbourne for a day full of insights shaping the future of Australia’s Large Format Retail sector.


Here are a few of the standout themes:

Scale + Impact:
→ 480,000+ FTE jobs supported by the Large Format Retail industry.
→ 25% of all retail floor space now attributed to LFR, up on the last year.

Consumer + Market Shifts
→ Click & collect now makes up two-thirds of Australia’s online sales. Consumers are still preferring to come to centre.
→ Retail sales holding steady at 4–4.5% annual growth.
→ A shortage of high-quality retail floor space continues to drive demand and retail growth.

Retail Innovation
→ Baby Bunting’s keynote showed how reimagining customer experience is paying off with its “Store of the Future” delivering 30% comparable sales growth in upgraded stores.

Regulatory Change
→ From 1 January 2026, the ACCC’s new mergers & acquisitions regime will significantly change how transactions are assessed across our sector.

Global Perspective
→ Insights from the LFRA Dallas & Miami Study Tour highlighted the rise of experiential retail, blended physical–digital journeys, and new placemaking strategies.

A big thank you to the Large Format Retail Association team for hosting another exceptional event.

Leedwell is proud to work alongside our industry as we continue shaping the next chapter of Large Format Retail.