Community Groups
Conversations that continue between events.
Thousands of retailers, brands and industry professionals connect through our community groups, sharing ideas, asking questions, solving problems and helping each other.
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ABOUT RETAIL COMMUNITY
We exist to connect retail.
Retail Community brings together retailers, brands and industry professionals to connect, share, learn and help each other succeed.
HOW IT BEGAN
It started with a text message.
Before Retail Fest 2025, Dean Salakas and Jethro Marks were simply trying to work out when and where they'd catch up for a drink.
They realised they normally spent conferences individually messaging people asking where everyone was going afterwards. So they had a simple idea: create a WhatsApp group, invite a few people they knew, and use it to coordinate where everyone was meeting.
"Reckon we need a WhatsApp group for all the cool kids?"
"Let's see if we can get to 100 by the end of the event."
Then something unexpected happened.
50+
By the time the plane landed
100+
By the end of the first day
300+
By the end of the conference
After returning to Sydney, Dean and Jethro caught up for coffee and asked a simple question:
"What if the conversations that happen in the hallways after a retail conference could happen every day?"
A strategy was formed and the community continued to grow. That became the idea behind Retail Community.
Retailers invited retailers. Questions were asked. Problems were solved. Introductions were made.
What started as a group for finding drinks at a conference became something much bigger, a real-time community where people across retail could connect and help each other.
Today, Retail Community has grown into Australia's largest and most active retail community, connecting more than 4,000 retailers, brands and industry professionals through community groups, events and industry initiatives.
And we're only getting started.
FROM ONE CHAT TO A COMMUNITY
One WhatsApp chat became a network of groups.
What started as one WhatsApp chat has grown into a network of groups connecting people across almost every part of retail.
Alongside general industry conversation, there are dedicated groups built around different functions, interests and areas of retail, so people can find the conversations that matter most to them.
FROM ONLINE TO IN PERSON
The conversations don't stop online.
Retail Community brings the industry together through networking events, executive dinners, moderated discussions, industry events and other initiatives.
The purpose is the same whether the conversation happens in WhatsApp or over a drink:
To connect retail.
Explore EventsWHY WE EXIST
Our mission is simple: Connect retail.
We believe the retail industry is stronger when people are connected.
When retailers, brands, suppliers and industry experts share ideas, solve problems together and build genuine relationships, everyone benefits.
The best advice often comes from someone who has faced the same challenge before. The best opportunities often start with a simple conversation.
Our mission is to create the spaces, both online and in person, where those conversations happen and to build a more connected, collaborative and supportive retail industry.
OUR VISION
For Retail Community to become the hub for all of retail to connect.
A place where people across retail can find the right people, conversations, events and opportunities.
Whether that's through our community groups, industry events, introductions or other initiatives, everything we do comes back to one idea:
Making retail more connected.
WHAT WE DO
More ways for retail to connect.
Events
Bringing the industry together in real life.
From large networking events and industry meetups to intimate executive dinners and moderated discussions, we create opportunities for people across retail to build genuine relationships.
Explore Events →Connections
Helping the right people find each other.
Whether someone is looking for advice, expertise, a new connection or simply someone who has solved the same problem before, we make it easier for people across retail to connect.
Industry Initiatives
Using the community to support the industry.
We collaborate on initiatives, content and opportunities that bring people together, share knowledge, support good causes and contribute positively to the broader retail industry.
MEET THE FOUNDERS
Built by people who live and breathe retail.
Dean Salakas
Co-Founder, Retail Community
Dean Salakas is a retailer, entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Retail Community, with a lifetime of experience in retail.
Dean grew up in his family's business, The Party People, with some of his earliest memories involving packing sandbags for balloon weights at just four years old. While still in high school, he took the business online in 1999, beginning what would become a career at the intersection of retail, eCommerce and technology.
After university, Dean joined Woolworths in 2003 as a Business Analyst, where he went on to win the Woolworths Innovation Award. In 2007, he took on the role of CEO of The Party People and helped transform the family business into Australia's largest party supplies retailer. Along the way, he pioneered a number of Australian retail firsts, including becoming the first Australian retailer to offer Click & Collect and the first to advertise on Google.
A recognised retail industry leader, Dean is a regular speaker, commentator and advisor on retail, eCommerce, technology and innovation. He co-founded Retail Community to help create a more connected retail industry.
Jethro Marks
Co-Founder, Retail Community
Jethro Marks is the Co-Founder of The Nile Group and brings more than 20 years of hands-on experience building and operating businesses in retail and eCommerce.
He is a regular speaker at industry events, sharing his experience and practical understanding of what retailers and operators actually need. Passionate about bringing the industry closer together, Jethro co-founded Retail Community to create genuine connections, encourage collaboration and build the kind of valuable peer network he wished existed when he was starting out.
Find your place in Retail Community.
Explore the groups, events and conversations connecting Australia's retail industry.