Glue Store has pulled the plug after 28 years on Australian high streets, the latest national chain to fall, and gift card holders have been told they must spend twice the face value in cash to redeem. The ACCC has handed the federal government a 6-point plan to regulate online marketplaces. And LG kicked off its EOFY week with up to 48% off TVs, soundbars and vacuums. Three reasons to read the fine print this Thursday, plus five fresh Australian sales we have not featured before.
Glue Store Pulls The Plug After 28 Years
Streetwear retailer Glue Store has been wound down by parent company Accent Group after 28 years on Australian high streets, the latest national chain to fall in a brutal year for discretionary retail. Accent Group confirmed the closure on 17 June after Glue Store posted an $8.4 million loss in FY25 on declining sales, citing high rents, weak consumer confidence and the cost of competing against fast-fashion globals. The decision was reported by ABC News business reporter Daniel Ziffer, who confirmed all 27 standalone stores will trade through a closing-down sale before shutting the doors.
The single biggest issue for shoppers is the gift card sting. Accent Group has told Glue Store gift card holders they must spend twice the face value of the card in cash to redeem it during the closing-down period, a structure the company says reflects the value remaining in stock after discounts. Consumer advocates have criticised the arrangement as effectively halving the card’s value at the point of redemption. Professor Gary Mortimer from the QUT Business School described the closure to ABC as part of “a perfect storm” of structural pressures hitting mid-market Australian fashion. Glue Store joins Lincraft (now online-only after closing all physical stores in May), Barbeques Galore (in voluntary administration), and the long tail of Mosaic Brands collapses on the FY26 casualty list.
Why this matters for the shopper. The closing-down sale will run for several weeks across all 27 stores and online, with progressive markdowns as stock is cleared. Customers buying full-price within the closing window should ask about return and exchange policy in writing, because liquidation-style sales typically suspend the usual 30-day return rights. If you hold a Glue Store gift card, the consumer protection position from the ACCC is that gift cards remain a debt of the issuer in administration, but Accent has wound the brand down outside formal administration, so the 2-for-1 redemption requirement is contractual rather than insolvency-driven. Document the original card value and the redemption terms in writing before you spend.
ACCC Hands Government A 6-Point Plan To Police Online Marketplaces
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has handed the federal government the final report of its 5-year Digital Platform Services Inquiry, with six recommendations that would meaningfully change the way shoppers are protected on online marketplaces. The headline measure is a new economy-wide prohibition on unfair trading practices, designed to capture dark patterns, drip pricing, fake scarcity claims and misleading review badges that currently sit in a grey zone under the Australian Consumer Law. The recommendations were unpacked by legal analysts at Johnson Winter Slattery following the report’s release.
The second consumer-facing recommendation is mandatory internal and external dispute resolution for online marketplaces, modelled on the financial services ombudsman framework. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in the report’s foreword that 72% of Australian shoppers surveyed reported encountering an unfair online practice in the last 12 months, ranging from countdown timers that reset to fake “only 2 left” stock counters. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has confirmed the government will respond to the recommendations in the Treasury portfolio statement later in the financial year. For shoppers buying through marketplaces today, the existing avenue remains the ACCC’s report-a-concern form and state Fair Trading offices, but the report formally signals that the policing of online sale tactics is about to tighten.
LG EOFY Kicks Off With Up To 48% Off TVs, Vacuums And Soundbars
The third story is the most actionable for today’s shopper. LG Australia has launched its EOFY 2026 sale with up to 48% off across televisions, soundbars, vacuums and monitors, with the campaign running through 30 June. The hero markdown is on the LG OLED C6 series at 25% off, and the cord-free CordZero A9 stick vacuum is 40% off. The full deal list was compiled by TechRadar’s Australia editor Stephen Lambrechts, who cross-checked each markdown against the LG.com.au pre-sale price.
For shoppers planning a financial-year-end TV or appliance upgrade, the price compare to do today is between LG.com.au, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Harvey Norman, because the LG-direct sale typically triggers matching from the big-three electronics retailers on the same models. The C6 OLED in particular is a discontinuation-driven markdown that historically gets matched within 24 to 48 hours. The 30 June EOFY clock means delivery and click-and-collect lead times are already shortening, especially on large-screen panels that require two-person handling. If you can collect rather than wait for delivery, you reduce the risk of the deal expiring before the unit arrives.
Five Fresh Australian Stores, Never Featured Here Before
Five stores. Five categories. The deepest headline discounts surfaced from a sweep of every retailer on It’s On Sale, audited at dawn.
Discount
KmartDepartment StoreUp to 88% off Kmart’s clearance: toys, kids’ clothing, homewares, manchester, kitchen basics, electricals and seasonal apparel from Australia’s most-shopped department store, with click-and-collect from over 300 AU stores and flat-rate home delivery.88%OFF2
Culture KingsFashionUp to 71% off Culture Kings’ on-sale styles: streetwear, sneakers, caps, denim and limited-drop apparel from the Gold Coast-headquartered Australian streetwear chain founded in 2008, with free express shipping over $100 and free returns on full-price.71%OFF3
SportsgirlWomen's WearUp to 70% off Sportsgirl’s sale: tops, dresses, denim, knitwear, jackets and accessories from the Melbourne-headquartered Australian women’s label that has been trading since 1948, with free standard shipping over $80 and easy 30-day returns.70%OFF4
Academy BrandMen's WearUp to 70% off Academy Brand’s sale: men’s chinos, shirts, knitwear, jackets, denim and footwear from the Sydney-headquartered Australian menswear label founded in Bondi, with free standard shipping over $150 and a 30-day returns window.70%OFF5
Nine WestShoesUp to 60% off Nine West’s sale: heels, boots, flats, sandals, handbags and accessories from the women’s footwear range, locally distributed by an Australian retailer with click-and-collect from selected AU stores and standard tracked shipping.60%OFF% discounts shown are indicative across each store’s sale range. Individual product savings vary.
Our Take
Three stories, one common thread. A 28-year-old Australian chain has been wound down with gift card holders told to put up twice the cash they expected. The ACCC has handed the government a 6-point plan to police the dark patterns that are pushing shoppers into bad online purchases. And LG has set the EOFY benchmark at 48% off, which the rest of the consumer electronics aisle will be forced to match. The honest end of Australian retail is being asked to compete harder than ever, and the dishonest end is being told the regulator’s tools are about to get sharper.
That is exactly why we built It’s On Sale. We track 35,000 Australian stores and 45,000 live sale products, every retailer Australian-owned and locally fulfilled, every promotion audited daily. Today’s Sales shows you every store currently running a discount in one place, the AI search reads the way real shoppers ask for deals (try “OLED TV under 2000” or “Aussie streetwear sneakers”), and you will never find Temu, Shein, AliExpress or any offshore marketplace dressed up as a local brand. With Click Frenzy week running alongside the EOFY clock, the next two weeks are the densest discount window of 2026. Use the filter. Browse Today’s Sales before the 30 June clock runs out.