Retail News at a Glance, 10 September 2026

Five things in Australian retail for the week to 10 September 2026.

Metcash sales up 2.8 per cent, earnings under pressure

Metcash's AGM trading update confirms group sales excluding tobacco up 2.8 per cent for the first 18 weeks of FY27: Food up 2.6 per cent, Liquor up 0.8 per cent, Hardware up 5.0 per cent, Total Tools up 9.8 per cent. First-half earnings are expected to be hit by sales mix in Superior, the end of the accelerated tobacco excise increase and cost inflation. Release 1 of the Horizon ERP replacement lands in the December quarter, Release 2 in the March quarter at an extra $18 million to $20 million. Why it matters: sales are growing, earnings are not, and core systems are mid-replacement.

Kogan CEO swaps salary for all-or-nothing rights

Inside Retail reports Kogan.com has told the ASX that chief executive Ruslan Kogan will cut his fixed pay from $847,838 to about $50,000, donated to charity, and forgo short-term incentives for 6,740,331 performance rights that vest only on 100 per cent absolute total shareholder return over five years from a $3.72 base. The plan needs shareholder approval. Why it matters: the founder's pay now rests on the shares doubling in five years.

KPMG Retail Health Index falls to -1.07

KPMG's Retail Health Index for the June quarter falls to -1.07 from -0.39. It records 254 retail insolvencies, up from 204 in the March quarter, retail job vacancies down 4,700 to 26,000, and nominal household spending up 1.3 per cent. KPMG expects conditions to remain challenging until the end of 2027. Why it matters: nominal sales are rising while insolvencies climb and hiring contracts.

Instacart and Shipt launch AI shopping assistants

Instacart announces Clementine, an AI assistant that turns requests, recipes, lists and photos into carts; the company says Clementine orders exceed its US$115 average basket. A white-labelled Cart Assistant is live for Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers Group and Woodman's, with Aldi US to follow. Target-owned Shipt launched Ask Shipt the same day. Why it matters: grocers without in-house AI teams can now buy a shopping assistant from their delivery intermediary.

Criteo names ANZ head, cites fivefold retail media growth

Retail Biz reports Criteo has appointed Guillaume Dupont as country head for Australia and New Zealand. Criteo says ANZ media spend on its platform is up 32 per cent year to date, retail media spend has grown more than fivefold in 12 months, and AI-referred visits convert at 1.5 times other traffic, with six retailers including JB Hi-Fi and David Jones live. Why it matters: the figures are vendor-claimed, but few published numbers exist on Australian retail media spend outside the grocers' own networks.