Old-style contracts may mute retail sector rise

Hill & Stewart managing director Nigel Merrett said the retail market was "still pretty good" and he expected strong growth in his sector to continue for 12 to 18 months.

But Merrett is concerned that proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act will result in a return to old-style industrial relations.

"You're going back to what it used to be like," said Merrett. "This old-style [industrial relations] has gone.

"We cannot succeed unless we have a motivated workforce."

Merrett said Hill & Stewart ran entirely on individual employment contracts and did not need a collective contract. "It is not like there was a problem out there to fix."