Building stronger retail businesses: market insights, value drivers and future opportunities

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Retail is entering a more selective period where success is increasingly defined by what sits behind the numbers. In particular, the capabilities, resilience and strategies driving performance.

While market conditions have stabilised, retailers continue to navigate margin pressure, evolving consumer expectations, technological disruption and increasing competition for growth. In this environment, understanding where value is being created – and how leading businesses are responding – is critical.

Building on insights from our Retail Dealtracker 2026, which examines how capital is being deployed across the sector, we collaborated with Inside Retail to develop a four-part e-book series exploring the forces shaping retail businesses today and into the future.

The series explores the current retail landscape – from market signals emerging from recent transactions, to the capabilities that create enterprise value, how businesses can strengthen their competitive position, and the opportunities shaping the future of the sector.

Explore the e-books below and reach out to discuss how these insights apply to your growth strategy or future ambitions.

E-book 2 | What creates value in retail businesses

What makes some retail businesses more resilient, competitive and able to create long-term value? This e-book examines the capabilities underpinning stronger retail businesses – from brand strength and customer proposition to operational capability, supply chain resilience, and tech-enabled decision-making. It explores how these capabilities can support stronger performance, scalability and strategic options over time, drawing on recent market activity and retailer performance insights to understand what sets apart leading businesses in a changing retail environment.

Download e-book 2

E-book 1 | The market brief: Retail M&A 2026

Retail deal activity has moderated, but capital continues to flow selectively towards businesses with clear strategic positioning, resilience and growth potential. This e-book explores the current state of Australia’s retail M&A landscape, including the factors shaping deal activity, changing consumer conditions, margin pressures and evolving market dynamics. It examines what recent transactions reveal about the characteristics influencing outcomes and where businesses are finding strategic relevance in a more disciplined market.

Download e-book 1