Betts, Stax, Depop's Fee War & the Accent Group Takeover

<p>We&#39;re on the other side of EOFY and into the thick of H2 — and Australian retail served up one of its messiest weeks in a while. Two heritage-adjacent brands hit crisis on the very same day, a resale platform war escalated, and a two-year-old takeover saga added another wrinkle, all while Myer and T2 quietly proved that some operators are still finding real growth in this market.</p><p>The standout story is the Betts and Stax double: on the same day, Betts entered a managed restructure — closing 20 of its remaining 35 stores and pivoting hard to online — while Stax entered receivership and is now in a rushed fire sale, reportedly triggered by a disgruntled major creditor. One is a 134-year-old retailer trying to right-size before it&#39;s too late; the other is a five-year-old DTC brand that&#39;s been unprofitable for three-plus years and is now drowning in unfulfilled pre-orders and refund complaints. Same week, same headlines, very different stories underneath.</p><ul><li>Country Road Group made MD Helen Wright redundant after just 18 months, splitting the role into a Chief Product Officer and a GM of Apparel &amp; Accessories (Shani Delargy) — a structural signal, not just a personnel change.</li><li>Myer added 25,000 products to its marketplace, with marketplace sales up 41% in FY25 and 80% of marketplace shoppers also buying Myer&#39;s own stock.</li><li>T2 turned 30 with EBIT up 20% year-on-year, proof that retail theatre and premium packaging can still win in the most commoditised category imaginable.</li><li>US Prime Day pushed online spend to $26.4bn (+9.3% YoY) with BNPL up 9.5%, while adult women drove real growth in the toy category — Lego, plush toys and collector cards, not just kids&#39; stuff.</li><li>Betts entered a managed restructure (20 of 35 stores closing) and Stax entered receivership on the same day, with Stax now in a fast-tracked fire sale after years of unprofitability.</li><li>Depop is scrapping its 10% AU seller fee from 22 July after Vinted&#39;s zero-fee Australian launch — a genuine seller win, or a defensive land-grab to lock in supply before the competitive dust settles.</li><li>The Accent Group takeover saga rolled on, with Frasers selling its Malaysian Sports Direct business to MAP Active to fund its $0.65-a-share bid for Accent, which the company&#39;s independent board committee has rejected as undervalued.</li></ul><p>Heading to Online Retailer in a couple of weeks? Check the show notes for the TWIEVIP code for a free expo floor pass.</p>