Members of both the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA) have voted to approve the organisations’ proposed merger.

The merged entity will be named the Australian Retail Council (ARC). 

Of the 1238 formal votes cast by members across both organisations, 92.7 per cent voted in favour of the amalgamation. 

The organisation will resolve the formal date of amalgamation at an upcoming Fair Work Commission (FWC) hearing.

In a post to the ARA website, the company wrote that it expected the ARC to operate as a unified industry body from early next year. 

This is the second time both organisations have proposed a merger, with the NRA previously walking away from the deal in 2019, stating the move was not in the best interest of small retailers.