Australia's peak retail body, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), is proud to announce an inaugural principal partnership with American Express to support the reinvigoration of the small business and retail sectors.
A leader in payments and the founder of the national Shop Small movement, American Express has extensive experience backing the retail sector.
As part of the strengthened partnership, American Express and the ARA will release new insights and data on the state of small business and challenges faced by the sector. ARA CEO Paul Zahra said the partnership with American Express comes at an ideal time.
"American Express has been one of the ARA's most valuable partners. This deeper partnership will allow us to expand our outreach to the retail community in many areas and will focus on supporting small businesses, driving retail recovery and promoting growth and innovation," Mr Zahra said.
"American Express have been trailblazers in this space, so we are extremely excited to work with them to achieve better outcomes for small businesses in particular."
Robert Tedesco, American Express Vice President and General Manager, Global Merchant Services says: "Small businesses are critical to the vibrancy of our communities where we live and work. We're pleased to strengthen our partnership with the ARA, and we're excited to be working together to back small businesses and help to reinvigorate the sector and economy."
Sustainability will also be a key focus of the ARA's partnership with American Express, along with support for the creation of a number of hallmark events for the retail calendar, which will be announced later this year.
The principal partnership marks a first for the ARA as it celebrates its 120-year history.
