
Heather McIlvaine
Heather McIlvaine is features and premium editor - retail at Inside Retail. In her nearly four years writing for Inside Retail, Heather has traveled to Shenzhen to cover the epic Chinese shopping event Single’s Day, doggedly reported the details of Amazon's launch in Australia, toured the biggest office supplies store in the world to understand the future of physical retail, dissected the 'Instagram aesthetic' with three brands that embody the look and followed the local fashion industry's pivot to making PPE during Covid-19. An LA-native who now lives in Melbourne (via Munich), she could happily survive on a diet of good tacos, coffee and beer and welcomes local recommendations for all three.
From the author

VIDEO: How Ikea is making stores a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community
After rolling out all-gender bathrooms last year, Ikea Australia recently introduced gender-neutral uniforms and name ta...
May 27, 2022

Reconciliation Week pop-up shines a spotlight on First Nations brands
Australia’s thriving First Nations economy was on full display at a pop-up market in Melbourne last night, featuring art...
May 27, 2022

Target Australia burnishes fashion credentials with Chadstone pop-up
Six months into its brand relaunch, the department store retailer has opened a new pop-up at Australia's Fashion Capital...
May 26, 2022

Popular footwear brand Bared to open new store in Brisbane
The popular Melbourne footwear brand is set to open its first store in Brisbane later this year, giving it a total of fi...
May 23, 2022

A vote for change: Retailers react to federal election results
Retail leaders welcome the new government's focus on climate change, gender equality and the rising cost of living, but ...
May 23, 2022

‘A huge win’: HR experts welcome progress on paid domestic violence leave
Millions of workers will be entitled to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave after a landmark by the natio...
May 20, 2022

‘We need to work with nature’: A wool farmer’s take on sustainable fashion
Julian von Bibra is the fourth-generation owner of Beaufront Farm in Tasmania, whose premium merino wool is used by the ...
May 19, 2022

How work-from-anywhere is creating a new market for home office supplies
Incumbent players and startups alike are rolling out new products and services to help businesses kit out their staff to...
May 19, 2022

Priceline Pharmacy opens new concept store to test tech, products, services
"This is a big sandbox where we can play; a laboratory where we can experiment,” says GM Andrew Vidler.
May 18, 2022

How an Aussie underwear brand got environmentalist Jane Goodall on board
Boody's new campaign is fronted by none other than Jane Goodall, the world-renowned environmentalist who conducted groun...
May 17, 2022

Why Italian food hall brand Mercato Centrale is expanding to Melbourne
Premium Italian food hall Mercato Centrale is set to open its first location outside of Italy with the launch of a new, ...
May 16, 2022

The inside story of L’Occitane’s acquisition of Grown Alchemist
When L’Occitane’s executive director Sean Harrington first approached the co-founders of Grown Alchemist about acquiring...
May 13, 2022

Meet the new business platform aiming to be the LinkedIn of sustainability
Sustainable Choice is a digital platform where businesses can create a profile and share their sustainability targets, p...
May 12, 2022

Sacha Laing and Richard Facioni on what’s next for General Pants
Investment in online and international expansion are on the cards for the streetwear retailer, following its recent acqu...
May 11, 2022

Why Levi’s, Amazon and Apple are refusing to stay silent on abortion
Few major retailers have spoken publicly about the Supreme Court's upcoming decision on the future of abortion, but thos...
May 10, 2022

Why some brands are letting customers opt out of Mother’s Day emails
The generic marketing emails that businesses send encouraging customers to ‘spoil mum’ can be painful and inescapable re...
May 9, 2022

‘Little veins of gold’: How Tony Nash plans to grow Booktopia
After 18 years at the helm of Booktopia, Tony Nash is gearing up for a new role as the company’s first-ever chief growth...
May 6, 2022

E-commerce pioneer Mark Coulter on diversity, innovation and growth
Inside Retail’s Top 50 People in E-Commerce is an annual ranking of the most impressive and inspiring leaders ...
May 6, 2022

Meet The Sneaker Laundry, the Melbourne start-up cleaning $10,000 kicks
Four years after launching in Melbourne, The Sneaker Laundry is about to open its first location in Sydney after raising...
May 5, 2022

‘The opportunity for augmented reality is in its infancy’: Snap APAC GM
Last week, Snap unveiled a slew of new tools and features that aim to make it easy for retailers and brands to create 3D...
May 3, 2022