The allegations aired under parliamentary privilege by Shane Jones about the "Countdown Shakedown" are ugly in many ways, but not the obvious.

Aliexpress.com is where small- to medium-sized Chinese retailers sell almost every known product.

Farmers has stood proud in Auckland's central city for nearly a century - but the iconic store is about to close its doors for the last time in the CBD.

Countdown supermarkets' Australian owners no doubt think their treatment of suppliers here came under attack this week.

Consumers' plastic cards saw less of the light of day last month, with electronic card transactions in the retail sector falling a seasonally adjusted 0.5 per cent from December.

The chances of GST being applied to all overseas web-based retail purchases appear more distant after the Govt changed tack on a review into tax of online shopping.

Shares in lightbulb maker Energy Mad surged after it announced it had begun selling its energy-efficient products online in the United States through internet retail giant Amazon.

So-called "showrooming" and "click and collect" will be two major retail trends in 2014, according to an industry commentator.

An advertiser has been ordered to remove online claims that magnetic wrist and ankle bands have therapeutic benefits including relieving tension and purifying blood.

Paymark figures show shoppers spending up large as malls brace for last-minute Christmas splurge.

Boxing Day sales are a magnet for `sport shoppers' with new apps seeking to fuel their competitive streak.

December has so far seen spending growth unseen for several years, Paymark says.

New Zealanders have spent more than $2.2 billion on their Eftpos cards in the first two weeks of December.

Businesses are smiling, frazzled customers are queuing and there are still nine more days of shopping to go.

Guys, do you plan to propose to your loved one on Christmas Day?

A DIY approach to gift baskets will save you money this Christmas, writes Susan Edmunds.

Three inexpensive sunscreens sold in supermarkets have come out tops in Consumer NZ testing.

Di Humphries is the fresh face in charge of children's clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch.

A controversial new Bunnings store on Great North Rd in Grey Lynn, Auckland, has been approved.

Online portal open all hours puts buyers close-up in front of works throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Goodman Property Trust, with a $2 billion real estate portfolio, will celebrate the opening of the first stage of its new town centre.

The battle over a proposed controversial Bunnings in Grey Lynn will likely be headed for the Environment Court - irrespective of a decision by planning commissioners.

Kathmandu shares soared to an all-time high yesterday after the company reported a record annual result.

A nine-level $100m development will soon rise on a yawning chasm behind Ponsonby Rd in one of the biggest projects by Progressive Enterprises.

Retailers in Auckland boutique premier shopping zone High St are worried about possible street changes.

Culture - it's a word that can be filled with meaning or thrown about in a way that means nothing at all.

Consumers turned out in force in the June quarter, with core retail sales rising 2.3 per cent in real terms, the fastest clip since September 2011.

JB Hi-Fi has defied a difficult trading environment to lift sales and profit, and expects the trend to continue for the next 12 months.

Luxury retailer Saks has agreed to sell itself to Hudson's Bay Co, the Canadian parent of upscale retailer Lord & Taylor, for about US$2.4 billion.